Genesis  Android Arc Fic 1
by Debs dragon
Summary: How did 17 and 18 become androids? The TV series doesn't give this information all we know is that both were once human. How then did they come to be with Gero? What did he do to convince them to become androids? This is my version of what happened.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own don't sue. I do own all the other characters that pop into this ficcy as well as the story itself. If you want to archive please ask, I'm a nice person. :)_

_Warnings: angst, Sev__enteen's POV, fluff_

_Rating: PG 13_

_Notes: Having completed the fic,'The Return' I wondered just how did 17 and 18 become androids in the first place? The TV series declines to give this information so all we know is that both were once human. Just how then did they come to be with Gero? And what did he do to convince them to become androids? The more I thought about this the longer this fic grew until what was originally intended to be the prologue rapidly turned into part one of the Android arc series. _

_Android Arc #1_

GENESIS

Jan 2002 Debs-dragon

Chapter 1

Although ten years have passed since that fateful day the memory still lingers as fresh as ever and the pain has yet to diminish. The day started out just the same as any other day with my sleep being roused by the sun's warming rays through my curtains. I hopped out of bed and scampered downstairs. Dad had already left for work at the Orange Star Bank where he was the assistant manager and my mother and sister were still asleep. Quietly I filled the kettle and put it on to boil, then taking out my mother's favorite tea cup, I placed it on the tray and putting tea bags into the tea pot I waited for the kettle to boil. A soft noise behind me alerted me to my sister's presence. I turned and smiled and Krystal smiled back. She climbed up onto the stool and sat facing me, clutching her teddy bear in one hand as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes with the other. She yawned.

"Morning, sleepyhead," I teased.

"Just watch who you call a sleepyhead," she replied and poked her tongue out at me.

I poked my own tongue back and was contemplating further action when the kettle began to sing. Carefully I switched it off and poured the steaming water into the pot. Krystal sat with her arms sprawled upon the bench, her head resting upon them watching my every move. She didn't have to speak, I knew what she was thinking. That was part of being a twin I suppose... we always knew what the other was feeling or thinking. Sometimes it was scary to have such an intimate connection with one's sister... but then it was also comforting as well.

Deciding that the tea had brewed for long enough I poured the amber fluid into the cup and added a drop of milk. There, nice and strong, just how mother liked it. I picked up the tray and began to walk towards the door... Krystal was right behind me. She knocked at mom's door and waited for the reply then opened the door so I could enter. Mom sat up in the bed and beckoned us forward. Carefully I passed her the steaming cup of tea.

She smiled as she took the saucer. "Why, thank you so much Jay," she said. "I was just thinking about how much I would love a cup and here you are. You must be a mind reader."

I smiled shyly and muttered "You're welcome," as I watched Krystal climb carefully on the bed and sneak up for a cuddle. Not wanting to be left out, I also wormed my way onto the bed. Our mother was what I termed to be a living angel. She had the softest blue eyes that were always twinkling with merriment. Her hair was the colour of pale corn silk and just as soft. When she spoke her voice rang out soft and gentle with a musical tone to it. Never once in my 7 years had I ever seen those eyes cloud or that voice deepen in anger.

Although we were twins, Krystal and I were nothing alike. While she took after our mother with her golden hair, I was more like our father. Dark locks framing a tanned face which looked at the world through clear blue eyes. Needless to say we were not identical twins.

Mother put her cup down having drunk most of the contents and then drew us both into her warm embrace. It felt so good to be hugged.

"So, my children, shall we go on that shopping expedition we have been planning?" she asked.

Krystal squealed with delight. "Oh yes please," she said.

Mentally I ran the image of my mother and sister shopping for clothes through my mind. It wasn't exactly my idea of how to spend a day.

"Jay... Jay..." My mother's voice broke into my daydreaming. I looked up, "Yes?" I asked, playing for time and trying to order my thoughts.

"Krystal and I are going on a shopping trip, you need some new clothes for school so you will need to come along," she said.

She must have seen the discomfort that flitted across my face as the thought of shopping with two females went through my mind.

"I promise it won't be that bad and we can stop and have an ice cream sundae when we have finished," she cooed.

I continued to scowl, but not as bad as before. The thought of an ice cream sundae did tempt me a little.

"And while we are in the store we will see if the latest title in your favourite anime series is out on dvd yet," she added slyly.

That was the final straw... I grinned from ear to ear. I was gone, hook, line and sinker. Boy did she ever know how to get to me. I threw my arms around her neck and inhaled the scent that was my mother. "Thanks," I said.

She pulled me close and squeezed me before patting my back and chasing us out so she could get ready for the shopping trip. As I ran down the hallway towards my bedroom bursting with happiness, I had no way of knowing that this was to be the last time I would hug my mother, the last time I would bring her tea in bed... the last time we would share such a close and warm moment.

#

An hour later we were ready to go. Mom wore a soft lemon sun dress that highlighted her hair and made her look a lot younger than her 30 years of age. Krystal was in her blue skirt and white shirt while I wore my favourite blue jeans with my white undershirt and black over shirt with my trademark red scarf around my neck. We piled into the air car and drove off into the town.

The trip was a short one as we lived just on the outskirts of the major city. I watched the landscape drift past as Krystal chattered non stop to our mother about school, clothes and shopping... _girl stuff... yuk_! I sighed inwardly. It wasn't that I disliked my sister, on the contrary, I loved her dearly. It was just that sometimes.. well... she could be really annoying. And now was one of those times. All I wanted to do was be left alone with my thoughts. It was bad enough having myself drawn along on this shopping trip without suffering the continuous barrage of questions from Krystal that were designed to slowly get me riled up.

I gave her my best glare. One that clearly said shut up or I will shut you up!. Before she had a chance to say any more Mother braked and parked the car. I looked around, noting that we were not in the car park of the shopping centre. I raised an eyebrow at Krystal but before she could say anything mother cut the engine and turned to face us both.

"I just need to stop in at the bank to get some money and speak to your father," she explained and then before we could object she began to exit the car. "Won't be a moment, be good," she said and with a wink she walked off towards the formidable looking building.

Silently we watched her go, both unaware that we had seen our mother for the last time.

I turned my attention to staring out the window again at the various cars in the parking lot. There were some nice, sleek models and some older types. One in particular caught my attention. "Ouch!" I jumped and scowled as Krystal poked me in the ribs. "Don't do that," I scolded, annoyed at myself for allowing her to catch me unawares.

"I like watching you jump," she giggled and tried to poke me again.

This time I was ready and moved out the way, managing to dig my own finger into her ribs as I dodged causing her to collapse in a fit of laughter.

"Not fair!" she gasped.

"Yes it is.." I called back and then smiling wickedly I slowly advanced on her, wiggling my finger in the air as I moved closer.

Her eyes danced with laughter as she tried vainly to get away from me. "No... no.. no... " she choked out between giggles.

"Agghhhh!" I screamed as I pounced and began to tickle her ribs mercilessly.

Suddenly I froze as a volley of shots rang out through the still air. I stopped my assault and looked up out of the window, eyes wide. Beside me I felt Krystal scrambling to look out the window as well.

"What was that?" she asked me as confusion crossed her face.

"I don't know," I replied. For some reason a feeling of fear ran through my body. I looked again at the bank doors, willing my mother to walk out of them. Then the doors burst open and two rather large burly men with masks on came running out and streaked across the car park yelling abuse at each other as they made for the unusual car I had been studying earlier. Before I could blink they had gotten themselves inside and the engine roared into life. Next thing the tyres screamed as the vehicle performed a feat that was not in its design to do so, and side swiping our car with a sickening sound of colliding metal it headed out of the area. I glimpsed the red rimmed, frightened eyes of one of the men and overheard the words.. "You didn't have to shoot" as they bounced off our car, out of the parking area and into the traffic.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

"Genesis"

Chapter 2

Krystal screamed, I locked my arms protectively around her, pulling her away from the car doors and into the middle of the seat. As the two vehicles impacted so we were thrown against the backs of the front seats and into the far side panels. When my world finally stopped rocking I raised my head. Krystal lay slumped upon the floor. I moved forward and winced with pain. Something wet trickled down the side of my face and I had acquired a thumping headache. Forcing myself to ignore the hurt in my head I reached down to Krystal and was relived to see her eyes start to flicker open. Dazedly she blinked and I watched as the pupils dilated before coming into focus.

"W..w..what happened, Jay?" she asked.

"Another car hit us," I replied. "Are you okay?"

She sat up carefully. "I think so. Just a bit sore." And as if to prove the point she began to rub her arm. She looked at me and her eyes clouded with shock. "Jay... you're hurt," she exclaimed and moved her hand towards my head.

"Ouch! Don't touch... that's sore." I said cringing back and raising my own hand to my head to check out the damage. My fingers came away wet and sticky. I groaned as the ache got worse. I turned, hearing Krystal rummaging around in the glove box and winced again as my ribs protested against the movement. "Great!" I muttered, "That's all I need with the basketball season coming up. A few cracked ribs..."

"Got it!" called Krystal as she waved the small first aid kit that mother kept in the car in the air. She scrambled back over towards me and proceeded to empty the contents onto the seat. Before I could object she had soaked a piece of gauze in antiseptic and was attempting to swab at the cut on my scalp.

"Arghh!" I yelped as the stuff began to sting. I vainly swatted her away.

"I have to clean the wound or it will get infected," said Krystal looking hurt.

"I don't care!" I retorted. "Let it get infected, just stay away from me with that stuff, it hurts more than the cut!" I raised my hand over my head protectively.

Krystal pouted and then her look softened. "I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't realise it would sting so much. I didn't want to hurt you, I was only trying to help..." her voice quavered as it hushed.

I looked at my sister and saw just how scared she was and sighed. This was her way of dealing with the shock of what had just happened. "It's gonna be okay. I promise," I said and reaching forward I took her hand in mine and squeezed, then I tilted my head for her. "Go ahead, fix it up." I gritted my teeth as she continued with the clean up of my head.

The doors to the bank burst open and the ear piercing wail of an alarm cut through the air. Two men who appeared to be guards came running down the steps and ran into the carpark. Each banished a gun and was looking wildly around. Watching them my blood ran cold and an uneasy feeling rose in the pit of my stomach. Then I was staring into a pair of pale blue eyes that were wide with fright.

"Where's mom, Jay? What's happening? Why doesn't mom come back? Jay... I'm scared."

Krystal looked at me, waiting for answers that I didn't have as tears began to slide down her face. I hugged her close to me, my muscles jerked involuntarily as she pressed against my sore ribs, but I ignored the pain and pulled her closer, trying to soothe her troubled heart and willing my mother to come to us.

Krystal suddenly stiffened and screamed. I turned to see the face of one of the 'guards' at the window behind me. The guard motioned for us to wind the window down. I shook my head. "No." I mouthed.

He looked a bit annoyed and motioned to the door again.

Once more I shook my head in defiance and pulling Krystal with me, I scooted across to the other side of the seat where I proceeded to exchange angry glares with the guy.

He changed tack and tried wheedling tactics, using a soft, tempting voice. "Come on son... open the door. We aren't going to hurt you but you need some help."

A voice that I recognised graced my ears and I stared around trying to locate the owner. Then the face of my father's co-worker and friend appeared at the window.

"Come on, Jay... Krystal... Open the door and let's get you fixed up. It's Uncle Howard. Remember me? I came to your place for dinner last week. Come on, open up, I won't let any one hurt you," he spoke in a quiet, calm voice.

My head began to throb more and all I wanted was my mother. Tears broke from behind dark lashes and ran unchecked down my face. I reached for and unlocked the door.

Big strong arms encircled me and lifted me from the vehicle. Hands gently began to explore the extent of my injuries as I huddled closer to that warm chest and let the tears flow. I raised my tear stained face and looked for Krystal. She was in the care of an elderly looking lady.

"Uncle Howard?"

"Yes, Jay?"

"Where is our mother?"

"Umm. She's inside the bank, Jay."

I noted the tremor in his voice as he spoke. Something was wrong. "What about dad? Is he in the bank too?" I managed to say.

Uncle Howard looked at me really funny and cleared his throat. Even so, when he spoke his voice was huskier and thick with emotion. "They are both in there, Jay, together..."

"I want to see them..." I struggled to get out of the restraining arms.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jay," said Uncle Howard.

"Something's wrong... why wont you let me see them? Why don't they come out here to us?" I demanded and tried again to break free. " I WANT MY PARENTS!" I screamed, and with a twist I managed to slip from those arms and as soon as my feet hit the ground I was running.

I dodged a couple of guards and made it to the doors, I grasped the door with both hands and pulled hard. The door opened and I shot inside before anyone could stop me. The doors shut softly behind me and I quickly darted into the shadows unseen. I looked around as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, the coolness of the air touched my skin causing an involuntary shiver. Quiet... everywhere was quiet. I could hear people talking in subdued whispers and from far off there came sounds of sirens. I made my way forwards, keeping to the shadows to avoid detection. There was a crowd of people up ahead. They were gathered together. I inched closer.

I heard the doors open again and saw Howard enter, I melted back into the shadows. I caught snatches of the conversation within the group.

"Such a waste... No need for this to have happened... Why them... Those poor children... Yes, those poor little mites... Who's going to look after them?... Who's going to tell them?..."

Confused, the thoughts ran through my head, What did they mean? Who were they talking about? Once more I began my forward journey. A couple of people in the group moved and I managed to get a look at what lay on the ground...

Stunned at what I saw I could only stand with my mouth opening and closing in mute protest at what my eyes were telling me. Finally I found my voice... "NO!" I screamed and then everything went dark.

When I came around I was lying on a couch in a small room with a cloth over my forehead and a smiling lady was sitting next to me. I groaned. She reached across and removed the cloth.

"Glad to see you are awake young man. You gave us all quite a fright there."

I looked into her kind, brown eyes. "M..m...mom?" I whispered.

The lady touched my arm briefly. "There's someone who wants to see you, and someone else who wishes to speak to you," she said quietly and then moved towards the door.

A small, blonde whirlwind engulfed me and I cried out in pain as my ribs received yet another bruising.

"Sorry," said Krystal. "Are you all right? I was so worried about you Jay. I was feeling all these funny things inside and then you disappeared."

I knew exactly what she meant. I felt her pain just as she felt mine. The curse of our connection I suppose. I looked up as Uncle Howard entered, he wore a look of disbelief and pain on his face. I could sense unease radiating from him and instinctively pulled Krystal closer.

Krystal stared at him. "Uncle Howard?" she questioned.

He sighed wearily as he sat down next to us. Absently he ran his fingersthrough his hair and then began to clench and unclench his hands. Sadly he looked from one to the other of us and choosing his words carefully, in a shaky voice he began. "There's no easy way to say this kids, believe me I have tried to find one. I just don't know how to begin..."

I reached forward and touched my hand to his arm. He looked at me, eyes pooled with unshed tears. "It's mom and dad, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Something awful has happened to them, hasn't it?"

He swallowed, hesitated, then nodded again.

I hung my head.

"There were two guys... they tried to rob the bank. Your... your father wouldn't open the safe so they took a hostage and said they would shoot if he didn't. He went to open the vault but something went wrong and the hostage got shot. Y...y...your father tried to tackle the thieves but the gun went off again..." Howard covered his face as fluid ran from his eyes. "I'm sorry kids... I'm so sorry..."

Krystal stared at me. "What does that mean, Jay?" she asked in a whisper.

I shook my head. "Uncle Howard... who was the hostage?"

No reply

"It was our mother, wasn't it?"

The man slumped forward as his tears flowed unchecked... "I tried to save her... and your father..."

Beside me Krystal turned as white as a sheet and gripped my arm tightly. I looked at her trying to come to terms with what I was hearing, but failing.

"Mom and dad... they aren't... they're... Oh god, NO!" screamed Krystal as the truth hit home, then her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.

Numbly I tried to understand the information. Mum and dad... gone. They would never come home to us again. No more hugs in the morning, no more bedtime stories, no more trips to the park, no more snuggling up on the couch as we watched tv together, no more cheery smiles or swings onto my dad's shoulders... We were orphans... Our parents taken... I wasn't aware of my tears until the moisture splashed upon my hands that now lay clenched in my lap.

I flexed my hands, those bastards... they would pay... one day I would make them pay for what they had done. In the space of a few minutes my world had been pulled apart and shattered, two of the three things that were dearest to me ripped from my life and all that was left was this void.

Sobs wracked my body. I was aware of arms encircling me, but I beat at them with my fists, taking out my anger and grief in the physical way. The arms stayed and took my pummelling until exhausted, I could neither fight nor cry any more. Hands soothed my brow and stroked my hair, then mercifully darkness came to claim me again.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

"Genesis"

Chapter 3

I don't know how long I was unconscious for. When I came around I was no longer in the bank. Scared, I looked around the white walled room. There was a bed next to mine and Krystal lay peacefully slumbering under the covers. The smell of antiseptic claimed my nostrils and I came to the conclusion that we must be in a hospital. I tried to raise myself and moaned as my ribs reminded me of their presence along with the headache that was ever present. I went to rub my ribs and found them to be tightly bound. My head had similarly been attended to and now sported a bandage.

The events of the past few hours came flooding back to me and I choked back a sob. I rubbed my swollen eyes and swinging my legs off the bed I got up, intending to find out where we were and what was going to happen to us. I stuck my head outside the door and saw a group of people down the hallway deep in conversation. I pulled back into the room and bumped into Krystal who had awakened and walked up behind me. I jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said.

"Thats okay." I moved back to my bed and climbed up on to it. Krystal shimmied up next to me and stared into my eyes.

"What's going to happen to us, Jay?" she asked.

I sighed. Even though I was the eldest by a mere 2 minutes it was an unwritten law that by being the eldest I should bear the blame and have the answers for all the things that went on in our lives. Also, being a boy didn't do much to change matters either. "I really don't know, Krystal," I said softly. "I guess we will go and stay with Uncle Howard for a bit. I'm not too sure how it all works, but Im sure they will find us a home soon," I trailed off, the tears threatening to burst forth again as I was made more aware of the empty hole inside my body.

"Who's they?" asked Krystal

"Umm, the grown ups of course," I replied, trying to keep my voice light and cheery when all I wanted to do was pound my fists into the ground and scream at the top of my lungs. Fortunately the nurse came in then and I was spared from answering more of Krystal's questions.

The next couple of days passed in a blur. I don't remember much other than being asked a lot of questions by a nice policeman who was a bit old and wrinkly but had a soft, almost musical voice. We were kept at the hospital for further observation, but whenever I tried to find out anything about our future, people became very evasive and dodged the topic with skill and ease. It was frustrating to say the least, and then Uncle Howard showed up. We were released into his care and for the first time in three days we were outside in the fresh air once more. We travelled back to his house in silence. Oh, he tried to start conversation but neither Krystal nor myself were in the mood to talk and politely declined his efforts and after a while he gave up and left us to our thoughts. Pretty soon we pulled off the main highway and after a few turns down various side roads we pulled up out the front of Uncle Howard's and Aunt Jenny's home.

I swallowed as a lump came to my throat and taking Krystal's hand to reassure her as much as myself I followed Uncle Howard into the house.

##########

The rain drizzled down matching my mood perfectly. My hair clung to me, clothes soaking wet lay plastered to my skin. The rain ran in rivulets down my face, running down the strands of my hair, dripping onto my cheeks and mingling with the salt of my tears to course down and drip onto the sodden earth beneath. Each fall of the tear sent another part of my soul into the earth to lie with my parents. Beside me Krystal drained her own well of tears and added them to the communal waterfall. It was hard... so hard to believe that inside those two oak boxes lay our parents... Once so vibrant and full of life, now gone, nothing left but a shell.

I sobbed harder as I remembered the service in the church, the kind words that had been said by a man that hadn't even known our parents. Part of me wanted to scream at him "_LIAR_! why say those things? You never knew what gentleness radiated from my mother, you never knew what it was like to play baseball with my dad..." But I had bitten my lip drawing blood in an effort to stay in control. I had to be strong for Krystal. And now... now they were lowering the caskets into the ground...

We hadn't even had the chance to see them one last time. Uncle Howard wouldn't let us. He said it was best if we remembered them as they were...

Best for who?

The priest had finished his words and I slowly became aware of an umbrella sheltering me from the rain. I looked up and saw the face of an old man. Strangely, I felt no fear. He nodded to me and then turned and walked away. I watched as he disappeared into the curtain of rain. I jumped as a hand squeezed my shoulder. I looked around and up into Aunt Jenny's kindly eyes.

"Come on Jay, Let's take you and Krystal home," she said softly.

I turned and followed. Home... I laughed inwardly. Just where was home now?

#####

A couple of days after the funeral Krystal and I were sitting outside under the large tree in Uncle Howard's backyard trying to concentrate on a game of checkers when Aunt Jenny approached us, a thoughtful look upon her face.

"Jay... Krystal... I ... We need to talk to you," she said. "Could you come inside for a minute please?" and then she turned and went back into the house.

Krystal looked at me with those big blue eyes of hers. I shrugged my shoulders, it was just as much a mystery to me as to her.

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard were sat at the large dining room table, there was another person with them. A man I had never seen before, but I could tell he was of some importance. His clothes were well cut and he had an air of authority about him. Krystal pulled closer to me and we quietly sat down looking from our Aunt to our Uncle.

Uncle Howard spoke "Jay, Krystal, this is Mr Reed. He was your parents' lawyer. I know you are probably too young as yet to understand all this, but it's a necessary evil I'm afraid."

The lawyer smiled at us and cleared his throat. "Firstly I would like to express my deepest sympathies to you on the loss of your parents. they were a wonderful couple and I for one will miss them a great deal. I know you are not aware of any of what I am about to tell you and that you quite possibly won't understand any of it either, but I am bound by law to inform you of the legalities of the situation you are in."

I looked at my Aunt and Uncle for some sort of reassurance and found it in their quiet smiles. I squeezed Krystal's hand and then tried my hardest to listen and understand what the lawyer was telling me.

Mr Reed shuffled some papers around and then began. It was all spoken in legal terms... all mumbo jumbo to me. I caught the odd word and phrase, but pretty much all of it went over my head. When he had finished, Krystal looked at me confused. I must have had a blank look on my face as well as Mr Reed took sympathy upon us and smiling said,

"Shall I re phrase all that into simple English that you can understand?"

I nodded. "Yes please," I said shyly.

"Okay then. Basically the will's that your parents left state that all that they owned at the time of their death should be divided evenly between the two of you. Should they pass on before you are of legal age then all assets and tangible items should be sold and converted into monetary units which is to be invested in trust until you reach 18 years of age. Then you will each have access to your half of the inheritance. This means that the house, cars and everything else is to be sold and the money put in trust till you turn 18, then it will be yours to do with as you wish. As far as legal Guardians go, they did not stipulate anyone in particular to look after you guys and as you have no living relatives that we are aware of the law has decided to leave you in the care of your Aunt and Uncle who also happen to be your god parents until such time as you are of legal age to do as you please." Mr Reed looked at Howard and Jenny as if seeking confirmation on his speech.

Krystal still looked confused.

I scratched my head and then looking into Krystal's eyes I spoke. " From what I can understand we are going to stay here with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard for as long as we want."

Krystal looked relieved, she sighed and two tears made their way down her cheeks.

Aunt Jenny came over and picked her up, cuddling her close. "We both want you and Jay to stay with us. You will always have a home here for as long as you need it," she said softly as she stroked my sister's hair.

I shrugged my shoulders. It sounded okay to me. At least we had a warm bed and food in our bellies and people to care for us. Why then was the ache still there?

Uncle Howard broke into the silence. "We had better make arrangements to go over to the house and pick up any of your clothes and toys and anything else that you want from your ..." he hesitated and swallowed, "...your old home before the arrangements are made to sell off the rest."

Tears welled again in my eyes as I thought of home... I looked up and nodded. "Hai," was all I managed to say.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

"Genesis"

Chapter 4

I hesitated as I stood upon the threshold. I had passed through this doorway times too numerous to count - but this time was different, this time the warmth was gone. Wisely, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard stayed back, not wanting to intrude but letting us know they were there for us should the need arise. I was glad of that. This was something I had to do by myself. As painful as it was going to be I needed to do this alone. Krystal, with her sixth 'twin' sense, also left me to myself. I moved forward and entered the now cold empty house.

As I moved slowly down the hallway so the sounds of my footsteps echoed back. I stopped at the foot of the staircase and looked up, my eyes blurring. I gulped then moved away. No, not yet... I headed for the kitchen. I stood and gazed around at the familiar room. I ran my fingers over the table top remembering the numerous meals we had shared here. Looking at the kettle I was dragged back to that morning and the cup of tea I had made my mother. I looked for the cup and found it back in its usual place in the cupboard. I picked it up and cradling it carefully in my hands looked at its pretty surface once more. I put it down then turned and ran blindly from the room, heading for the stairs. I pounded up them two at a time and then down the hallway, stopping briefly to throw open the door to my parents' bedroom. I charged into the room, the familiarity of it settling over me like a favourite jumper. I fully expected, or should I say _hoped _to see my parents curled up safe and warm in their bed, to see them beckon me over to share a cuddle like we had shared so many in the past. Through the mist I could see them and I reached forward, stretching for those warm arms to engulf me. As I fell on to the bed so the figures disappeared and I realized that I was still caught in this nightmare, spiralling into emptiness with no hope or way back.

I don't know how long I lay there sobbing, but I cried until there were no more tears left to shed. I cried for my parents who were too young to have passed on, I cried for the future we could no longer share, I cried for the love that had been so cruelly taken, I cried for the emptiness we were now forced to feel; but mostly I cried for Krystal and myself for being thrust into this life that obviously wasn't ready or willing for us as the realization finally began to sink in. We were orphans... our parents were never going to come home to us again, never would I see them walk through that front door, never would I hear the laughter or share the joy of being a family. As the well became dry so I pulled myself from the bed and took one last, lingering look around the room, desperate to commit to memory every detail. My mother's slippers still waited at the end of the bed ready for her feet to slip into. A novel with the bookmark jutting out lay on the nightstand awaiting my father',s eyes to continue their perusing of its pages. All around me I could feel them... and smell them...

I left the room closing the door softly and went down the hallway to my own room. I stood there, just inside and stared around. My bed was made, toys neatly stored in the toy box, nothing out of place. I sighed wearily and fetched my rather battered suitcase out from under the bed. A noise behind me made me jump and I turned around to see Uncle Howard standing in the doorway.

"Don't worry about your clothes Jay, your Aunt will sort them out and pack them up for you. We just need to get enough for next few days. Just pack up what you want to bring now and the rest we will get sent over in the next couple of days," he said softly.

I looked at him through red, swollen eyes and nodded my head, not trusting my voice. He smiled in understanding and left the room. I heard him go down the hallway to Krystal's room. Quietly I closed the door then sat on my bed, staring around the room that had been mine for as long as I could remember. I tried to swallow the lump that insisted upon forming in my throat as the thought of someone else being in *my* room entered my head. I pushed the thought away and began to rummage through my toy box and closet as I decided what to take with me now and what to leave till later. There was so much there... so many different things, each with their own special memory that it was hard to choose. The train set that I had been given on my last birthday. Dad was going to help me build a permanent track for it in the garage so we could play all the time. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I thought of my dad and the train set. Then there was my anime collection. Mom made out that she didn't understand why I liked it so much, but she always made sure I had the next dvd in the series and I had even caught her watching some of it on the odd occasion. My baseball mitt, my toy cars, the list was endless, each holding its own special place in my heart. I managed to put together a few things and then quickly raided the draws and wardrobe for clothes as I heard Aunt Jenny calling from downstairs that it was nearly time to go.

Leaving the bag and suitcase in the doorway I went down to Krystal's room to check on her. I looked at her face and there was no need for words. With that special sense we had I knew she was feeling the same raw emotions that I was, and like me, had her own way of dealing with them. She also had a couple of bags packed and I noticed with a smile that she was hugging to her the special teddy bear that she had been given the day she and I had been born. We had both received them. Krystal's was white with a yellow bow around its neck. Mine was also white, but a green bow had graced its neck. I looked at Miss Fluffy and the memories came once more to haunt me. Our father had given those bears to us. Mine had long ago reached the point where it could no longer be repaired and so with great reluctance I let him go. Krystal, however, had treasured hers and looked after it, never once playing rough with it and so Miss Fluffy, as she had been named, had lasted the years and was still to this day Krystal's most loved possession.

I glanced quickly around my sister's room making mental notes of everything before taking her hand in mine and squeezing gently, leaving the one place that we had known so much happiness in, the only place that had ever been 'home'.

As the car pulled out of the driveway and down the street I stared forlornly out of the rear window. Saying goodbye hurt so much. Knowing that I would never again walk through that door, sleep in my bedroom, eat in the kitchen, play in the garden ripped the very heart from my body. As kind as Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard were, they could not possibly understand what Krystal and I were going through. To have your whole life suddenly taken from you, all that you held close and dear to your heart, all that is familiar wrenched away in one split second... I tried so hard to hold on to some shreds of my sanity and I thought I was succeeding... until...

Sold... all sold...

Something died in me that day...

#

Life with Uncle Howard and Aunt Jenny began to take on a routine. They tried hard to make us feel welcome and loved us as if we had been their own. It took some time for the wounds to begin to heal, but then time is a wonderful adversary. As each day passed so the pain eased that little bit more until life once more began to hold meaning and promise of better things to come. Krystal healed faster than I did, part of being a girl I suppose. Although I could now think back to our parents without the sharp pain of loss, the dull ache was still there and would remain so for years to come.

School once more dominated our lives and we settled into the routine happily, eager to have some form of stability in our lives, something familiar with which to anchor to. Days passed by and the seasons also came and went. Before we knew it a year had passed since the tragedy. I still woke at night with nightmares of that day. I could still see the eyes of that man in the car. The police had not managed to track down those responsible and now the file was all but closed, unsolved is what they said. But as long as I had my nightmares the face of one of those responsible remained. One day... one day... I vowed to myself I would track him down and make him pay. Little did I know that my chance to do so was waiting in the not too distant future. That in another bizarre twist to my life vengeance would become mine.

Just as our lives had begun to settle for us and we again began to live, set goals and have hopes and dreams, something happened to once more throw us reeling into despair.

#

Three years had now gone by since our parents' passing and while we still continued to miss them, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard had managed to fill the void and to a point take their place. Krystal and I had celebrated our 10th birthday with a big party and were sitting happily exhausted in the lounge room.

"That was some party," said Krystal.

I nodded my head in reply. Lots of food, fun and laughter had been had by all and while we had only invited a few friends, we had still managed to make enough noise for twice the amount!

I watched as Krystal picked herself up and began to tidy up the lounge room, fluffing and putting cushions back on the couch, relocating the remote controls to the TV back to their more familiar spot on the coffee table and picking up a couple of cups that had found their way in here.

Feeling my eyes watching her she stopped and turned, then putting her hands on her hips she cocked her head and stared right back. "So nice of you to help me, brother dear..." she said sarcastically.

"Ahh, but you were doing such a great job by yourself that I didn't want to interfere," I replied and then ducked as a cushion came flying through the air and landed just behind me. I stuck my tongue out at her. "Missed me," I retorted.

Her eyes narrowed and took on an almost feral glint.

I swallowed and looked for an escape route.

Noticing where my eyes were looking, Krystal slid across the room and blocked my only means of escape.

Damn! When it came to a wrestling match she was good, almost as strong as me and anyone that had dared to cross her in the past had found out that there was more to that lithe body than first thought. For her age and build she was extremely agile and very strong, as quite a few of the boys at school could bear testimony to. When it came to being outclassed, well that's what brothers were for...

My eyes darted around the room for another means of escape. The window.

As if reading my thoughts she looked me full on and shook her head. "Don't even think about it. Uncle Howard's prize azalea is under there."

Hmmmm, she did have a valid point. That left just her and the door. I sighed. May as well get it over with. I thrust my body from the chair and with a yell launched myself at my sister, determined that I should at least have the element of suprise on my side.

Krystal's eyes opened wide as I flew at her. Quickly gathering her wits she braced and met my lunge head on. We both crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.

As we wrestled madly on the floor, neither of us heard the sound of the doorbell. I was sitting on Krystal's stomach, pinning her arms above her head and about to make her promise to clean my room for the next week when I heard Uncle Howard calling for us.

Krystal smirked up at me and poked her tongue out.

"Just think yourself lucky this time," I growled and then stood up, releasing her arms. We quickly straightened the room and went to see what Uncle Howard wanted.

As we walked into the dining room so a feeling of unease crept over me. I automatically reached for Krystal's hand and entwining my fingers in hers found the reassurance that I needed. Sitting with our Aunt and Uncle was a white haired, elderly looking man. His hair was long, thin and wiry, falling almost all the way down his back. He also sported a rather large, white moustache. The skin was wrinkled with age or worry. Which? I couldn't determine. Judging by the number of lines I would hazard a guess that both were responsible. He turned and looked at me.

tbc...


	5. Chapter 5

"Genesis"

Chapter 5

Those eyes...

So pale blue...

Like ice...

I shivered and squeezed Krystal's hand tighter. I felt those eyes run over the entire length of both mine and Krystal's bodies; taking in each detail. For some reason I felt sick to my stomach. This man oozed self assurance and it was obvious from his demeanor that he was used to getting exactly what he wanted. But just why was he here? Then a closed door in the rear of my mind opened and a memory came flooding back.

The funeral... the rain... the umbrella... This was the face that had been attached to the arm that held the umbrella to keep the rain off me at our parents' funeral. I stared once more just to be sure. I knew I had seen him somewhere before. He seemed a little older and had more hair than I remembered, but I was sure it was him. Now all I had to figure out was what the connection was between our lives and his.

Aunt Jenny was looking a little pale and I noticed that Uncle Howard was clutching a glass of whiskey that he drained rather quickly as we entered the room. I frowned slightly as I took in all this information. Krystal looked from one to the other and lastly at me. I shrugged my shoulders.

The silence was deafening.

Finally Uncle Howard spoke, his voice trembled a little as he formed the words that I didn't want to hear, knowing instinctively that our lives were once more about to change. A change that I was determined to resist.

"Jay, Krystal, this is Mr Gero," said Uncle Howard quietly.

The elderly man looked at Krystal and smiled, then turning his gaze to meet mine he nodded.

I continued to stare blankly ahead as Uncle Howard revealed the purpose of the man's visit.

"Mr Gero, as it turns out, is a distant cousin of your father's..." Uncle Howard swallowed then continued. "He has come to talk to you about going to live with him."

The words hit me like a truck. I felt my heart once more ripped from my chest before anger set in. I gulped back my tears and tearing my hand apart from Krystal's I formed them into fists.

"No."

All eyes turned and focused on me as I uttered that one syllable word.

"I'm afraid that we really need to discuss this, Jay," said Aunt Jenny with a crack in her voice.

"No."

"It's not that simple..." Uncle Howard began but I cut him off.

"Yes, it is that simple," I stated and then I looked at each of them in turn. "Krystal and I have a home. We don't need another one." I stared deep into Mr Gero's eyes daring him to challenge me.

"Legally we are your guardians. But Mr Gero, as a blood relative, has more rights than we do and that includes taking care of you both." Uncle Howard looked down, his eyes couldn't meet mine as his lips uttered those heart breaking words.

Something inside me snapped and I felt all the pent up anger and frustrations of the past years trying to break forth. Shaking, I tried to calm my raging temper and finally with a voice that I vaguely recall as being mine, I spoke. "Mr Gero here may be a blood relative but that does not give him the right to come along and just uproot us from everything we have become accustomed to. When our parents were killed Krystal and I were too young to understand a lot of things, but we are older now and with that age comes more knowledge. I don't care what the law says we can and cannot do. Where was this Mr Gero when our parents were first gone? Why didn't the authorities find him then? How come he didn't come forward to *claim* us at that time? Why? I will tell you why... because it didn't suit him at the time. But now it does." My voice began to raise as my anger seeped through the walls I had set to block it.

"I know I speak for Krystal as well when I say that we may only be ten years old, but we are happy here. You took us in and looked after us, fed us, clothed and loved us when no one else was there. You chased away the nightmares, held us and comforted us, never once though did you ever try to take the place of our parents. Always there to help, doing the same job as our parents should have been doing, but not once did you ever ask for anything in return. "

The tears began to prickle at the back of my eyes. "I don't care if this man is a relative, I don't want to leave here. I'm happy here." A sob caught in my throat and blindly I turned to run from the room, not wanting anyone to see my tears.

"Jay!"

I heard Krystal call my name and her hand brushed against my arm as she tried to grab me as I spun around. I moved past her and left the room.

"Let him go," said Mr Gero. "The boy has had quite a shock and it's natural that he should be confused and upset. I will leave you to explain all the necessary details to them both. In the meantime I will contact the authorities and make the appropriate arrangements, then I will be in touch once I have the details and advise you as to what will be happening and when I will come for them both." Mr Gero stood and nodding, turned on his heel and left the house.

I had run from the kitchen and out into the garden. I wanted to keep on running, to get as far away from this man as possible, but I couldn't leave Krystal. Besides, it wasn't fair to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard either so I stopped my headlong flight and found myself drawn back to the house to stand by the kitchen window and catch the last shreds of the conversation.

Hearing Gero get up I quickly hid myself in the bushes and waited until he had left before letting out a breath I hadn't been aware of holding. I moved away and silently headed back inside and up to my room. Sprawling out upon the covers I allowed my brain to run the events through, playing back like some slow motion horror movie. The rational side telling me that there wasn't a damn thing I could do about our current situation. That the law was the law and regardless of how I felt the law would suceed. I was still a minor and too young to make my own decisions. Sadly I looked around. The law didn't take into account the fact that both Krystal and myself were finally happy and settled here... No, they only thought about relatives and the relatives' rights and screw the fact that we were human beings too and might have an opinion.

There was a gentle knock at the door followed by Krystal's hesitant voice seeking permission to enter.

She came in and sat on the edge of the bed. I felt the mattress dip at her slight weight. She sighed and turned towards me, the tears glistening in her eyes. "What are we going to do, Jay?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea, Krystal," I replied honestly. "It seems that we are never destined to enjoy happiness."

The tears broke forth and I held my sister close, stroking her hair and comforting her as best I could, trying hard not to let my own tears join hers. "Why us?" she asked.

_Good question,_ I thought... _why us indeed_. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't," I replied.

"Im sorry, Krystal. I should be able to protect us from all this, but I can't. I don't know what to do any more. It seems that the grown ups have won. I don't want to leave here any more than you do, but Im afraid we have no choice in the matter. It's out of our hands now." I held her trembling body close to mine and tried my best to soothe her as I fought my own internal battle.

Finally the tears stopped and Krystal once more regarded me through eyes red and swollen from her crying. "I feel as if I'm on a never ending roller coaster," she whispered. "Oh Jay, I don't want to move again. I love it here with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard. This man... Mr Gero... I don't like him." She shuddered as she spoke.

"I don't like him either, Krystal and I don't want to live with him, but I'm afraid we have no choice. It seems as if the grown up world has decided for us again. The thing I want to know is why has he waited until now to come forward?" This thought crossed my mind again and the more I thought about it the fishier things seemed to get.

Uncle Howard had obviously been wondering the same thing.

That night at dinner, Uncle Howard revealed to us both that he and Aunt Jenny wern't going to give us up without a fight. They had called their lawyer and were going to go to court to fight Gero so that we could stay with them. Suddenly hope appeared again upon the horizon.

#

The days passed and each waking moment was spent working on setting up a strong case for Krystal and myself to stay where we were. The court case filled every available second of our lives until finally the day was here.

The day itself was warm with a few puffy clouds floating lazily across an endless sea of blue.

Pouring rain would have suited me better.

We arrived at the courthouse and were greeted by Uncle Howard and Aunt Jenny's lawyer who ushered us all inside. We sat down at the long bench inside a very dark and stuffy room. Curiously I gazed around at my surroundings. It reminded me of something off an old movie... along the lines of _A Few Good Men _but not as bright. Idly I wondered just how many lives had hung in the balance in this room? How much joy and sorrow had passed between these four walls? The quiet was broken as Mr Gero and his entourage entered and took up their position at the other bench. I glanced across and met his cold eyes. I glared at him before turning to the door ahead of us that had suddenly opened.

"All Rise..."

The judge entered and proceeded to the big leather chair where she sat down, then shuffling some papers she nodded to the clerk to begin...

tbc...


	6. Chapter 6

"Genesis"

Chapter 6

I don't remember much of the actual hearing. It was all spoken in legal terms with a lot of big words being used. I made a mental note _not _to become a lawyer when I left school. We seemed to be inside that stuffy building for an eternity. In fact we were soon "adjourned" for lunch. I for one was glad to breathe the fresh air and with reluctance re entered the court house for the continuation of the hearing. Once Gero's lawyers had finished it was Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard's turn. I remember hearing snatches of the lawyers' continuous monologues such as 'taken in when no one else wanted them... raising them for several years... good friends of the family...' and so on. I did my best to look like I really wanted to stay where we were and gave glares of hatred at Mr Gero at every opportunity. At last after 3 days in that stifling room the judge was ready to give her recommendation.

We all sat tense with anticipation. We stood as the judge entered and sat in that big leather chair. The lawyers sat and shuffled papers as the tension in the room began to rise, then the judge cleared her throat and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of this hearing has been to determine where Jay and Krystal Lloyd would be best suited to live and be raised. After hearing both parties' arguments as to why they are the best choice I have reached my decision. This decision does not in any way have any reflection on either party as they are all fine upstanding citizens and any child should be happy and proud to be raised by either one of them. However, as a blood relative, Mr Gero does have the right under the law to adopt and become legal guardian of the two children. While the court also recognizes that Mr Gero for whatever reason delayed his notification of being a relative and therefore the Williamsons were legal guardians of the children and did a wonderful job, a blood relative, having been found and willing to take the children, then I have no choice under the current law but to grant custody of Jay and Krystal Lloyd to Mr Gero until they attain the age of 18 years."

I sat there stunned as the words sank in. Aunt Jenny began to cry and Uncle Howard paled as he tried to comfort his distressed wife.

Krystal looked at me. " I don't want to go, Jay. Why do we have to leave?"

My fists clenched, drawing blood as the nails bit deep into my palms. This wasn't fair, it just _wasn't_ fair! we weren't some rag dolls that could be tossed around from place to place. We were human beings with feelings, thoughts and emotions. I got up and before anyone could stop me I ran across the room to the judge's big desk, ducking around the side so I could see the person who had held our fate in her hands.

"Why?" I spat at her.

She stared back at me with compassion and pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm really sorry. Nothing would please me more than to leave you both in the care of Mr and Mrs Williamson, but I cannot do that."

"Why?" I hissed the question again.

"The law says I can't, Jay."

Uncle Howard stood behind me and resting his hand on my shoulder pulled me back towards him. "Come on Jay, let's go."

Blinded by my tears I turned and wrapped my arms around Uncle Howard. He picked me up and carried me outside to the car and back to my once more shattered world.

#

Three days later saw Krystal and myself once again waiting to move on. Move on from this brief but healing part of our lives, move on into the unknown. Forced to grow up way too soon I stood stiffly awaiting Mr Gero's arrival. These last few days had seen my childhood taken and locked away. No more would I cry. I had been hurt once to often and now my heart was encased in stone, the concrete walls I had built around me would serve me well. No more would I lower my defenses and allow hope to slip in.

Krystal had also slipped behind a mask, carefully erecting her own barriers to stop the outside from hurting her anymore and while mine were built of concrete hers were formed from steel.

A large black car pulled up and Mr Gero got out.

Before we knew it all our possessions had been loaded into the trunk and all that remained was to say good-bye.

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard did their best to disguise their sadness, but it didn't work. They were just as torn as we were - if not more.

I hate good-byes. I hugged them both tight, determined to put every ounce of love I could into those hugs. I could see the anguish in their eyes and I tried to fill my own with understanding.

"Thank you, Aunt Jenny. Thank you for everything. But mostly thank you for being you." I hugged her tight one last time.

Moving to Uncle Howard I embraced him. "One day I will return," I said with a catch to my voice.

Uncle Howard squeezed me tight "I know, son... I know..." a strangled sob escaped him. "Look after your sister and _always _remember that we will be here for you."

Taking a deep breath I felt Krystal's hand entwine with mine and I walked down the path and got into the car, never looking back. As the car started and drove away so I mentally closed the door to that part of my life and tossed away the key. Staring straight ahead I would not allow any emotion to pass over my face, yet inside I allowed the storm to rage free.

After what seemed like hours to me we left the city behind and were traveling through the countryside. I stared out of the window at the passing landscape, entranced by it all. _So Gero lived out of the city then?_ I mused to myself.

Krystal began to stir beside me. She had fallen asleep earlier, all the happenings of the last few days finally having taken their toll and she had drifted off into an exhausted slumber. Now her blue eyes blinked open and she looked around. The realization passing through her eyes that we were still on the road and heading for Gero's place, that it hadn't been a bad dream, that it was in fact true. A sigh escaped her lips.

I squeezed her hand tight. "Dont worry, Krystal. I promise to take care of you," I said and smiled at her.

She returned the smile and squeeze before looking out the window at the landscape that was whizzing past the windows. "We are in the country?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Mmmm. I like the country."

I chose to ignore this remark and continued to stare, lost in my own world. The car slowed and then turned onto a rough side track that wound its way in between the tall mountains. Slowly and steadily the car climbed upwards into the mountains' depths. I took mental notes of the terrain as we continued to climb. This place sure was a long way out from civilization.

The car eventually came to a stop outside of what appeared to be a pair of large steel doors set into the mountain side. The ground shook slightly as the doors opened and allowed the car to enter. Once inside the doors swung shut and the car halted, the engine cut. It was dark.

Silence.

Then a smaller door opened over to one side and light infiltrated the dark cavern. Silhouetted in the door frame I could make out the shape of Gero. His hand raised and then my eyes closed against the glare of lights that suddenly invaded the area. When I next opened them I was greeted by Gero's frame standing outside the car door reaching for the handle.

"Welcome to my home. This is also your home now. I will show you around and then we will eat. I'm sure you must be hungry after traveling for so long," said Gero and with a wave of his hand he beckoned for us to get out of the car and follow him.

Gero's home was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Cut deep into the mountainside it seemed to go on forever. There were several rooms all running off a central hallway. These were mainly the bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms. There was also a large family room which we were told was ours to use as we wished, right next door to it was a study which contained desks, computer and floor to ceiling shelves on one wall that were full of books.

"This is where you will complete your school work." said Gero.

I looked at him quizzically.

Gero stared back, a funny smile on his face. "I think I should outline a few of the rules to you both..."

"We are too far out for you to travel to school so you will both complete your studies by correspondence. In here is where you will study and learn. I expect you both to be in here working hard from 9am till noon when you will break for lunch and then resume from 1.30 until 4pm. This you will do Monday to Friday. All work will be completed in those hours, after which you will be free to wander around watch some television or read until 6pm when dinner is served. After dinner again your time is your own, however, bedtime is at 9pm each evening and I expect you to be showered and in bed by this time. Breakfast is at 7.30am sharp. If you are not present for the meal at the time stated then you will miss out. I do not have time to chase after you. You both will have certain chores allocated to you and it is your responsibility to see that they are done. Failure to complete your chores will result in you being confined to your room until further notice."

At the end of the hallway Gero opened another door that led into the large lounge area. Several doors fed off it and we were soon introduced to the kitchen, laundry and dining area. Gero took us back up the hallway once more and showed us our bedrooms and bathroom.

"These are your rooms and I expect you to keep them clean, neat and tidy. I have staff employed to do the cooking and cleaning but they are not responsible for your rooms, that is up to you."

Gero stopped in front of a pair of dark wooden doors and gestured towards them. "These are my rooms. They are private and off limits to you. Under no circumstances are you to enter my rooms unless I authorize you to do so. If I should find out that you have disobeyed me then I promise you that you will deeply regret it."

His eyes narrowed and a feral glint appeared in them as he looked from Krystal to myself.

"Do you understand?" he asked, continuing to bore into me with that icy, cruel stare.

"Yes," we both managed to whisper.

"Fine. Now then, your belongings should be in your rooms so I suggest that you go unpack and settle in. I will see you at dinner." Gero turned on his heel and disappeared into his rooms.

Krystal and I remained in the hallway, both a bit too stunned to move for the moment. Then slowly I let out a low whistle. "Wow!" was all I managed.

"Come on, Jay, let's go unpack and try to forget about this," said Krystal and tugged on my hand.

I allowed myself to be led back up the hallway to our rooms. Once inside I realized that someone had dumped all our luggage into our rooms. Krystal's room was next door to mine and had a connecting door which we promptly opened so that we could talk while we unpacked. While I still didn't trust Gero I had to admit that he didn't skimp when it came to his home. We quickly unpacked and stored everything away in the roomy closets. The rooms started to feel a bit friendlier now there were a few familiar things scattered around.

"Come on, Jay, let's go explore a bit," said Krystal as she bounced through the connecting door.

"Be right with you," I replied as I carefully set down a framed photograph of my parents with Krystal and myself on the bedside table. Pushing away the lump in my chest I went out to find my twin.

#

We spent the best part of the afternoon exploring the various rooms and marveling at how well the home had been constructed using the mountain as its shell. Besides the rooms we had already been shown, we found a couple of others which hadn't been used for some time. Heading back out into the car area we noticed another set of steel doors off to the other side,' and being naturally curious we wandered over to have a look. The steel appeared to be very thick with some form of computer controlled code system to activate the doors.

"I wonder whats inside?" I thought out aloud.

"Must be something really important or very secret to be secured like this," said Krystal.

"Hmmm," I said. "What on earth would Gero want with such as this?"

"Well, let's ask him at dinner," said Krystal. "And speaking of dinner we have two minutes to make it to the dining room!"

I looked at my watch, sure enough it was two minutes to six. "Damn!" I said and then grabbing Krystal's hand I pulled her along behind me as I raced back down the hallway to the dining area.

I managed to stop our headlong flight just before the door and we both calmly walked in as the clock chimed six.

Gero looked up from the table as the clock began to chime. "Good. I'm glad to see you are on time," he said and motioned for us to take a seat on either side of him at the large jarrah dining table.

A funny looking 'man' served us our dinner and the meal progressed in relative silence. I was trying to work out just what it was that was 'different' about the man when Gero interrupted my thoughts.

"He is an android," said Gero.

"A what?" I said, stunned.

"An Android. You know, artificial human."

"Oh," was all I could say, then "He looks so... so..."

"Human?" Gero finished my sentence for me.

"Yes... human," I said.

"I created him," said Gero proudly.

I choked on my forkful of food. "What?"

"I created him."

The response was calm and controlled as if one was discussing the weather. "But, how can you create something that's so life like?" My curiosity was fully aroused now.

"Ahh, it has taken me years to perfect the technique, but at last it is finally coming together and all paying off," said Gero.

Krystal looked at me questioningly. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I see you are curious, boy," said Gero. "Then maybe one day I will let you watch me work. But first I will see how you go in your school studies and see if you are worthy of being allowed to watch and share in what I do." And with that Gero continued to eat, indicating that the topic was now, in effect, closed.

Krystal cleared her throat and looking directly at Gero, asked the question that had been on our minds since earlier. "Errr... Mr Gero, we noticed that there was another set of doors inside the garage area, but they are computerized."

Gero stopped eating and stared at Krystal, his eyes narrowed, "That is the entrance to my laboratory. No one, and I mean _no one _goes in there without my consent or unaccompanied by me." He looked from Krystal to myself and back again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Krystal.

Gero stared at me.

"Yes," I stated flatly.

"Good. Then as long as you two do as you are told then we should all get along just fine," said Gero and with that he stood, scraping his chair as he did so and then leaving the room paused once more. "Remember bed time is at 9pm. I will bid you goodnight now and see you both for breakfast." And then he was gone.

I looked at Krystal.

"Oh no, Jay. I know what you are thinking and I don't agree," she said.

"Krystal, I have to get inside that lab and find out just what it is that he is up to. I'm sure that whatever it is it isn't legal and if we can uncover that then we stand a good chance of going back to Uncle Howard's and Aunt Jenny's to live."

Krystal thought about it as I continued to wheedle and whine, giving all sorts of arguments as to why we should get into the lab and eventually she gave in.

"Okay... okay... I give up. We will see what we can do and what we can find out about the lab," she said.

I hugged her. "Thanks, Krystal. I'm sure we can expose him for what he is." We made our way back to our rooms to prepare for our first night in yet another new home.

tbc...


	7. Chapter 7

"Genesis"

Chapter 7

I felt as if I had just closed my eyes to sleep when I was awoken by sunlight streaming in through the window. I blinked and stared at the clock on the bedside table; 6:40 am. I groaned and rolled over. My mind began to run in circles, making any attempt to further my slumbers impossible, and so with reluctance I gave up. Rolling onto my back I folded my hands behind my head and stared idly at the ceiling. _So this was to be our first real day in Gero's care,_ I mused. As much as I disliked the old man there was something about him that drew me to him. It was as if there was a hidden side to him... that what we had witnessed was only a mask, put there to distract from the real Gero. The more I thought about it the more convinced I became that there was another side to this Gero... a side that I fully intended to find.

A gentle knock on the interconnecting door drew me from my thoughts and I looked up to see Krystal gazing at me from around the door frame. I motioned for her to come across and patted the bed for her to sit. I smiled as I noticed she was still clutching Miss Fluffy her teddy bear. Right now we both needed as much familiarity around us as we could get.

"So this is our new home?"

"Looks like it."

"Jay?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know if I can do this..."

Two tears escaped from soft blue eyes and rolled down porcelain skin. I raised my hand and brushed them away, at the same time I pulled Krystal close to me and stroked her hair just like our mother used to do.

"It will all be okay, Krystal... I promise," I said with more conviction in my voice than I felt. "All we need to do is to obey Gero's rules and stay out of his way."

Krystal sighed and sat upright again. "Yes, I know..." She smiled at me. "I will try."

"Good. Now let's get dressed and head down for breakfast."

Krystal went back through the connecting door to her room and I wandered to the closet to find something to wear. My mind was still turning in circles as I continuously thought about why Gero should suddenly come forth and want us. The more I thought the more frustrated I got. Frustrated at my own inability to work out what was going on. My subconscious was working over time and I knew that all the information that had been fed to me so far was locked away in the recesses of my brain where it was slowly being analysed and put together.

I dragged my t shirt over my head and tugged at the hem, tucking it into the waist of the blue jeans I wore. I brushed my hair, staring into the mirror at the reflections' face as if I would be able to find the answers in the image's eyes.

No such luck.

Tying up the laces of my sneakers I tossed my hair back and straightened up. I headed for the door, pushing all thoughts of Gero's ulterior motives to the back of my mind for now.

Breakfast was a quiet meal with only the obligatory words being exchanged. As I chased the last piece of strawberry around the now empty plate I glanced at the 'android' that was waiting on us. He seemed to be almost human. The body movement was a little stiff and the voice wasn't quite right, which even to the inexperienced such as myself told me that he wasn't the human he was supposed to be. But still he was very life like. Idly I wondered just how Gero was able to make a robot appear to be so real. Unfortunately I was to find this out a lot sooner than I realized.

#

The next few weeks passed in rather a blur of activity. Most days were spent with our school work and then when we weren't being taught we were usually completing homework. The work wasn't hard and Krystal and I found that we were pretty much ahead in our studies. Gero dropped in from time to time to make sure we were following his orders properly and seemed to be quite pleased to note that we were doing rather well.

We managed to do quite a bit of exploring at weekends and found the area surrounding Gero's home to be one of never ceasing enlightenment. Nature abounded and the creatures seemed to be friendly, having not had much contact with humans they therefore had no reason to fear people. These were some of the more happier times. Krystal and I would pack up a picnic lunch and head off into the wilds. All day would be spent exploring the area, making friends with the wild life and generally relaxing, letting all the worries fade for a while. Inevitably though, all too soon we would have to head back to the mountain and the home within.

Not that Gero was cruel to us... on the contrary he was very generous. We wanted for nothing. All our meals were taken care of so we were never hungry. As we grew so our clothing was replaced with larger sizes and followed the changing fashion trends. This was a particularly sore point with Krystal as she was very fond of shopping and had her own likes and ideas on clothing for herself. Being unable to select her own apparel did not go down well... part of being a girl I suppose. I couldn't have cared less. Just as long as I had clothes that fitted and suited the current season I was happy.

Our education was closely monitored and we were encouraged to study more on those subjects we were good at and given extra help in the areas we needed it in. Meal times became an interesting part of our day. Mainly dinner time. You see, this is when I got to work on Gero...

Breakfast was always a series of grunts or monosyllablistic answers as Gero always hid behind his precious newspaper. Not that I could blame the guy. It was, after all, his main way of keeping in touch with the outside world. He rarely left the mountainside home, preferring instead to either send one of his 'servants' to get the necessities from town or ordering what he needed from the Internet and having it delivered.

Lunch was also a pretty silent affair and more times than not it was just myself and Krystal, Gero having failed to realize the time or just too busy to be bothered to eat.

But dinner time.

Now that was a completely different kettle of fish. Gero was always there for dinner and with nothing else to distract him I was free to ask, pry and quiz him on the androids.

There was also the matter of the lab.

So far we had been unable to access the lab or get much information out of Gero as to the type of experiments he did in there. But I wasn't about to give up. Gero seemed to be quite happy to talk about his 'androids' and the success he was having with them and slowly I started to pick up on Gero's methods and understand some of what he was saying.

Our lives once more began to settle to a normal routine and before we knew it several more years had gone by. We were both now in our final year of study and looking forward to a future that we could carve together. Our whole life lay ahead like a blank piece of paper, just waiting for us to write the words of our lives upon its surface.

Krystal was still unsure of what she wanted to do with her life. Maybe teaching. She had a knack for being able to impart knowledge so that even the most complicated thing seemed so simple after her explanation. And me?

Well I had discovered I had a flair for the sciences. Physics, chemistry, biology... I just couldn't get enough. I was like a huge sponge drawing in and absorbing as much as I could. This seemed to make Gero even happier and he began to spend more time with me.

This was exactly what I wanted.

Slowly I managed to draw Gero more and more to me. Long discussions on the various physical properties of elements... the reactions of biological systems to chemical changes... the long term effects of the environment on altered systems and so on ensured that we spent a lot of time together. Gradually my plan began to work. Gero began to let little snippets of information on his current android experiments slip.

Over the period of a few months I managed to learn enough from Gero to get a reasonable understanding of what he was up to. It kind of reminded me of something. [1]

Krystal wasn't very happy with me and finally it all came to a head. We had gone out for the day. A break from studying for our final exams was needed and Krystal had managed to organise a picnic lunch and in no uncertain terms informed me that I was going along too. No excuses.

As I trudged along behind her, the knapsack feeling heavier with each step so my mind did its usual trick and wandered off on its own little tangent. I had almost cracked Gero. If Krystal had left me alone I'm sure he would have given in.

As if reading my mind Krystal broke into my thoughts.

"Just what is it you are up to, Jay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I am talking about," she returned.

I stopped in the clearing and lowered the knapsack to the ground, doing my best to evade the question. "Ummm, want to give me a hand?" I questioned and opening the bag I took out the blanket and passed it to her.

Krystal scowled and she got that determined look on her face. The one like a dog with a bone and I knew that the subject was only temporarily dropped.

We spread the blanket and unpacked the food. Sitting in silence we munched our way through sandwiches, cake, cheese and biscuits and washed it all down with lemonade. Wih my stomach now happily satisfied I lay back and rested the back of my head in my folded hands and stared idly at the clouds.

Krystal pulled up a piece of grass and began to chew on it, her face deep in thought.

It was only a matter of time...

"Jay?"

"Yes, Krystal?"

"What exactly is it you are up to? And don't try to fob me off with some pathetic excuse either!"

I sighed and closed my eyes wearily. I should have know she wouldn't drop the subject. "I really don't want to discuss it, Krystal."

"But, Jay. I _am _your sister, we have always shared everything. I can see and sense you are onto something... Don't shut me out. I don't want to be alone." There was a catch in her voice.

I raised myself on to my elbow and looked across to her. Was I that wrapped up in my own obsession that I had forgotten my sister? The answer stared straight back at me. Quickly I moved across ad drew Krystal into my embrace. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't realize that what I was doing was affecting you this way."

Krystal looked at me with pain in those blue eyes. "Don't shut me out, Jay... Please don't do that, you are all I have left of my family." A sob choked its way out.

I stroked her hair gently. "I won't shut you out and I'm so sorry If that's the impression I have given you, but I didn't want to tell you what I was doing as I didn't want you to get involved and possibly get hurt," I soothed her gently. Finally she seemed to settle.

"Please tell me, Jay," she said quietly.

"Okay then. I know Gero is up to something. He is on the verge of making a major break through in his experiments. I am earning his trust." I stared at Krystal and she nodded in reply that she understood.

"Being able to converse with him on his own level I am hoping he will trust me enough that he will let me into his lab and therefore I can learn just what it is he is up to in there."

Krystal shifted. "And once you do get into the lab and learn his secrets, what then?"

I stared out across the landscape, the question going through my head... "_What then?" _Exactly... Once I got into the lab and found the secret, just what was I going to do next?

I had no idea...

~ T B C ~

[1] Jay is thinking of the classic... "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelly.


	8. Chapter 8

"Genesis"

Chapter 8

That night at dinner my chance came.

Gero had been in his lab all day and was tired. I could see the strain in his face as he sat down to dinner with us. The meal was a silent one at first, the clinking of cutlery being the predominant sound and then the android dropped a plate causing it to shatter loudly.

Gero's eyes flashed angrily and he opened his mouth to let loose with a tirade of angry words at the poor android.

Krystal and I just stared. We had seen the darker side to Gero on a couple of occasions, but never anything quite this bad.

Realizing that our shocked eyes were upon him, Gero looked at us both before apologizing for his outburst.

"That's all right," I reassured him. "We realize you are under a lot of strain with your experiments and all, especially as you are nearing the completion of a major part of your research."

Krystal gave me an odd look.

I continued. "You really are working far too hard and pushing yourself to the limits."

Gero stared at me. "Just _what _is it you are suggesting here, Jay?"

"I really think you need an assistant."

"And what makes you think I don't already have one?"

"Maybe you do, but I don't think you are getting the help you need from them then if this is how strained you are getting." Having set the hook I now began to play the fish.

Gero stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. "Maybe you are right, boy," he said.

"I know I'm right. Just think how much further you can get if you have the right help," I coaxed.

Krystal was staring wide eyed at me.

I chose to ignore her; instead I concentrated on reeling in my prize. "You could be so much closer to the ultimate in your research."

"And just who might you have in mind?" asked Gero.

"Well if I may be so bold, I was thinking of myself..."

Gero smirked. "What makes you think you are smart enough or talented enough to help me out, boy?"

"You have had many a scientific conversation and debate with me over the last few months, you have even said yourself that I have an uncanny grasp of the sciences. We share similar interests and besides, I want to help and learn," I said, letting the line run again before once more reeling in the slack.

Gero chuckled to himself. "So you think you are worthy enough and talented enough to be my assistant then..."

"You know that I am a very quick learner and I am sure that I can be of some form of help to you." Sensing that my catch was almost in the net I pushed home...

"Hmmmm... you have got a valid point there, boy," said Gero.

"Besides, who else are you going to trust?" I added as I brought the fish to shore.

"Okay then. Seeing as how you are so keen to help me and learn all my secrets I will take you on as my assistant."

My eyes lit up as I realized I had finally reached my objective.

"But."

My smile froze on my face as I once again looked into those cold, blue eyes.

"But you will need to finish your final exams first," said Gero.

I stared into those cold depths and replied, "No problem."

"Right then. You pass all your exams and I will take you on," smirked Gero and then he waved his hand to indicate that the conversation was closed.

The rest of the meal finished in the same manner as which it had started... in silence. Once it was over, Gero left for his rooms and Krystal and myself went to our section of the mountain home.

As soon as the door to the sitting room was closed the assault started.

I raised my hands in an attempt to block the barrage of questions.

"Why, Jay? Just what sort of stunt are you trying to pull? What do you think you intend to accomplish by helping him? Don't you realize that we will both be 18 in a matter of a few months and free to leave this place? So why all of a sudden do you want to help him for?" Krystal stopped to take a breath.

Seeing my chance I lowered my hands and spoke. "Whoa! slow down there, Krystal," I said "Look, it may not make sense to you at this stage but I have a funny feeling that Gero isn't all that he's made out to be. Over these past years I have been doing some research and digging of my own. We always knew it was funny that he should just suddenly front up out of nowhere and claim us like lost property when we had been happily living with Uncle Howard and Aunt Jenny for so long. And haven't you ever wondered why Mom and Dad never spoke about Gero? Just what is his relationship to us? I don't know about you but none of this seemed to make sense to me so I have looked into it and you would be amazed at what I have found out." I paused for breath and to let this sink in to Krystal's mind. I scanned her face for a clue as to her thoughts, my sixth twin sense telling me she was grappling with what I had said so far.

Krystal sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. She looked at me with confusion in her cornflower blue eyes, eyes that had seen way too much suffering in her short life.

"Okay Jay... why don't you start at the beginning. Tell me all that you know."

I swallowed hard, this wasn't going to be easy, but I had to tell her.

"I was first suspicious when I saw Gero at our parents' funeral. Then, when he showed up at Aunt Jenny's I began to wonder just what his relationship and interest in us was. I wasn't able to do much until recently. I have been scouring the Internet as well as trying to hack into Gero's computer system." I paused.

"But why didn't you tell me any of this sooner? asked Krystal.

"I wanted to be sure of my facts first."

"And what have you found out ?"

"Okay, I will tell you, but you have to promise you will sit and listen to what I have to say and not interrupt me, no matter how horrible it gets you have to hear me out." I waited for her response.

"I trust you Jay. I will hear what you have to say," s,he replied and then sank back further into the couch.

I ran my hand absently through my hair wondering just where to start. Then I turned and looked directly at my sister and revealed all that I had learnt...

"Gero is not related to us. He made the whole thing up. From what I have discovered he used to go to school with our father and there they became very good friends. Gero was a scientific genius whereas our father was more of a mathematician, but they got along very well. When they left school and graduated university Gero went to work for a bio-genetics company and our father went into the banking industry. They kept in contact as the company Gero worked for did all their financial dealings with dad's bank." I stopped to catch my breath.

Krystal was staring at me intently. I continued...

"Dad met mom and they got married and settled down. Dad's position within the bank was on the rise, he was appointed to assistant manager and head of the loans department. Gero was also working his way up through the ranks in the bio-genetics company and had reached a rather high level and was involved in some top secret work. It was around this time that you and I were born."

Krystal cleared her throat as if to speak. I raised my finger to silence her.

"From the records that still exist, the company needed extra finance to continue the research they were doing and so Gero applied to the bank for a rather large loan. He felt rather confident of getting the loan as after all the head of the loan department was his old school pal and good friend. Dad on the other hand wasn't so sure. The documentation that was supplied for the loan reason was to say the least, rather sketchy. Dad wanted more information before he would approve any money. This didn't go down too well with Gero, who for some reason couldn't or wouldn't supply the data that dad required and so dad turned the loan down."

Krystal's eyes opened wide as her brain absorbed the information.

I could see the realization beginning to form in her mind and so I pressed on. " That's when I suppose you could say the rift in their friendship began. I have checked into the records of the bio-genetics company and found that although they didn't get the loan, Gero continued to research until the funds dried up and thus in effect he caused the company to go bankrupt. By the time the directors of the board found out what Gero was up to it was a bit late to do much so they fired him. From what limited information I have he seemed to hold dad responsible for the loss of his job, the demise of the company and the resulting termination of his research and experimentation."

I looked at Krystal to see if she was still with me...

She nodded to let me know that so far she understood.

Again I pressed on. "It seems that our Dr Gero disappeared for a bit after that, I can't find any data on where he went or what he got up to other than the odd bit of so called speculative gossip that he was involved with a red ribbon company or something . He must have made some money though somewhere along the line because the next concrete data I have is when he resurfaced to buy and establish this place." I waved my hand around to indicate the mountain residence.

"But why would he bother with us?" asked Krystal.

I frowned. "Now that is a good question. To be perfectly honest, I really don't have an answer," I replied.

"Maybe he felt bad about the rift that happened between him and dad and wanted to make it up to him and this is the only way he knew how?" suggested Krystal.

I stared softly at my sister. "I have been thinking along the same lines but there are a few things that don't quite add up on that score."

"How do you mean?" she asked and cocked her head.

"Well, why wait all these years for one," I said. "We were only 2 years old when they had their disagreement and 8 when mum and dad were taken from us. Then we spent a couple of years with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard. Why didn't he do or say something in that time? Why wait until we were 10 before coming forward to claim us?"

"Hmmm..." said Krystal.

"And another thing, he wasn't a blood relative and yet he falsified papers to say he was so that the judge would have no choice but to send us to live with him. Now doesn't that strike you as a bit weird?" I raised an eyebrow at my sister as I felt her jumbled thoughts in my own confused mind.

"He seems to have gone to an awful lot of trouble for us both. But what for?" Krystal crossed her legs as she thought.

I moved across the room and leant with my back against the door, staring into space. "Another thing that struck me as odd is that he is so keen for us both to learn and have a good education. He certainly has spared no expense when it comes to us getting the very best of tutoring."

Krystal sighed softly. "There certainly is a lot more to this than first meets the eye," she smiled at me.

"Yeah... you can sure say that again," I grinned ruefully at her.

"So- just what are we doing here then, Jay? Have you any ideas as to what Gero wants with or from us?"

I sat down beside her on the couch and took her hands in mine. Staring into her eyes I told her of my theory. "I think it may have something to do with making amends with our father for their earlier differences. But then I also think that Gero has another motive too, and that's the one I'm not sure about. All I know at this stage is that whatever his reasons are for taking us in the answer to that lies beyond those steel doors and inside that lab. Once I manage to get inside there I am sure that I will find out for sure just why Gero took us in as well as what on earth it is that is so important to him in relation to his research."

"I don't think I want you to go into that lab and work with him, Jay," said Krystal.

The look of concern in my sister's face touched my soul. "I would rather not in one way, but another part of me wants very much to find out what on earth it is that he is up to in there."

"Well, you have to pass your exams first and that gives us a couple more weeks yet before you disappear in there; so who knows, we may find our answers before then."

I smiled at the look of hope in her eyes. "I wish it would be that simple, but somehow I can't see it," I replied

She tossed me an exasperated look. "What ever happened to optimism?" she asked tartily.

"I think it flew out the window along with common sense," I quipped and then ducked as a large cushion whistled past my ear.

"Aww, come on, sis... where's your sense of adventure?" I teased.

"I think it went west along with your brain." she replied haughtily. "I don't think you are taking this seriously, Jay. You have no idea what lies beyond those doors. All I'm asking is that you be careful, okay?"

I stopped my teasing. "Okay. I promise to be careful. I was only trying to lighten the mood a little. I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Jay, but you just make sure to look after yourself, you're the only flesh and blood I have left now and if I lost you I don't care to think of what would happen."

I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a reassuring hug. "It will be all right," I said softly. And then whispered inaudibly "I hope."

#

We studied hard over the next two weeks and sat our exams. On the whole it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I was relatively happy with the questions and the answers I had given. I was quietly confident that I had done very well. Krystal was also pleased with herself and confided in me that she also had hopes of having high marks.

Then the results came through.

We sat quietly at dinner, noting the two yellow official looking envelopes that sat at Gero's place. Nervously I glanced at Krystal who also seemed to be worried and kept darting anxious glances at Gero and the envelopes.

Gero to all intents and purposes seemed oblivious to our concerns and decided to eat before opening the mail.

I groaned... "_Sadist!" _I thought silently and began to pick at my food.

Krystal's appetite had also taken a vacation and the two of us sat and played musical chairs with our food, seeing just how many different ways the stuff could be rearranged on the plate. Finally Gero was finished and he picked up the envelopes.

With a flick of his unused butter knife he sliced them both open, spilling the contents onto the table. He picked up the folded paper and began to read.

I watched his face carefully. Trying to read any form of emotion there that would give me a clue as to the results.

Nothing.

The man remained poker faced as he picked up the next piece of paper and scanned down it. Then he placed both papers on the table and leaning back he looked into Krystal and my expectant faces.

I swallowed hard, I could hear Krystal's shallow breathing beside me.

Gero cleared his throat.

"Congratulations. You have done me proud. Both of you passed all your subjects with honors."

I stared at Krystal as the realization sank in. We had passed!... and with honors! I came back to planet earth with a jolt as I heard Gero continue.

"Meet me outside the lab doors at 9 am, boy," he said and then abruptly got up and left the room.

I smiled at Krystal, failing to see the concern and fear she tried to hide in her eyes.

"Now we will get some answers ."

~ T B C ~


	9. Chapter 9

"Genesis'

Chapter 9

I tossed and turned for most of the night, sleep proving to be an elusive partner. Finally I gave up and sat at the window to watch the soft rays of dawn creep across the landscape, freeing the earth from the darkness with her warm fingers of light. I gazed, entranced as the scene unfolded before my eyes. I had witnessed mother nature at her best on some occasions, but nothing could beat the wonder of the dawning rays as they woke the slumbering world. Sighing softly I returned to my bed to ponder the day ahead.

Having passed my subjects with honours I was about to embark on the next stage of my life. I was excited, intrigued and scared all at the same time. Today I would step inside Gero's lab for the first time. Who knew what secrets lay within... I shivered at the thought of what lay ahead. Deciding I had wasted enough time with my idle musings I raised myself once again and headed for the shower.

Returning to my room, hair still damp from my shower I noticed Krystal sitting in the chair by my desk.

"Morning," I called cheerfully and proceeded to towel dry my hair.

"Morning," she called back absently.

I moved across to sit on my bed, snagging my hairbrush as I went. I knew Krystal had something on her mind... I had a pretty good idea what that something was, but I knew I would have to wait for her to come out and tell me what was bugging her. I had been in this situation before and with my twin sense I automatically knew that whatever it was would come out soon enough.

Krystal stared ahead, her face looking out the window through eyes that were unfocused and a brain that was totally absorbed on some inner thought.

I cast the odd glance at her as I picked up my brush and began to work it through my black locks, untangling the snarls that had worked their way into the strands. Finally I was done and with one last swipe through my hair I stood and returned the brush to the table. I felt Krystal's eyes on me and sensed the opening of her mouth as the words came forth.

"I don't want you to go in that lab, Jay."

Turning slowly I locked eyes with my last remaining reason for living on this earth. "I have to, Krystal."

"But I don't want to lose you, Jay." Her eyes were downcast as she spoke.

"The answers all lie beyond that door, I am sure of it."

"I'm not so sure I want to know the answers, Jay," she whispered.

"Well I do," I replied a little too harshly and immediately regretted my words.

She turned from me and got up to leave the room.

Quickly I reached out and grasped her arm, preventing her from going.

She stopped but refused to meet my eyes.

"Krystal, I'm sorry. I had no right to speak that way."

She shrugged as my hand released her arm. "It's okay, Jay. I realize that this is something you feel you have to do."

The tone of defeat in her voice cut me to my core. I opened my mouth to say more but then closed it as she spun and quickly exited my room. I watched her leave, unsure as to what I should do. My mind was telling me to go ahead and get the answers I craved, my heart told me to get my sister and run...

#

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Krystal refused to look at me and only spoke when absolutely necessary. I tried to draw her into conversation but she politely answered me with single words. I gave up. Gero also seemed to be a little pre occupied so I ate the rest of my meal in silence.

Having cleaned my teeth I made my way through the residence and headed for the doors of the Lab. I passed Krystal on the way. She was curled up in an armchair in the family room, book in hand, deep in thought. I paused at the doorway and she glanced up.

"I'm sorry, Krystal. I wish you could understand why I feel the need to do this..."

Her expression never changed as her eyes locked with mine. "Please, Jay; don't let yourself be so consumed by hatred that you fail to see what is important... fail to see the real truth."

I frowned at her riddles. "I will see you at dinner," I snapped and then turning, I marched away, my mind in a turmoil. What was happening to me?

A pair of sad, blue eyes watched as I disappeared down the hallway. "Open your eyes to see what is staring at you... let the blindness go and find the answer before it is too late," she whispered

But I never heard.

#

The big, steel doors slid open with a soft, graceful hiss that belied their true thickness. I stepped inside, my eyes adjusting to the light. The doors swung shut sealing me off from the outside world. My eyes quickly adjusted to the different light and I took in the surrounding area. Off to my left there stood what seemed to be a storage area, several aisles containing rack upon rack of various equipment took up a large volume of space. The equipment varied from coils of wire and tiny computer chips through to large chunks of what seemed to be some sort of metal. I continued my sweep of the room. To my right were several large work benches with an assortment of large machinery on and around them. Curiously I stared at some of the machines. There was what appeared to be a welding apparatus and a large ... err was that some type of saw?

I shuddered as I took in the various machines, A few I recognized, but most looked like they had stepped out of some medieval dungeon. What on earth did Gero want with the likes of some of these sort of apparatus? I moved forward down the pathway between the two sections and came to another door that took me into the heart of the lab. As I entered this doorway I froze.

"Welcome to my laboratory..."

Staring down into the room that lay in front of me I felt a mix of emotion play through my body; excitement, joy, elation, wonder, awe and fear... The room could only be described as organised chaos. Several computers lined the one wall, each screen busily changing, showing different stats as hard drives were constantly monitoring and regulating something I had yet to determine. Here and there on several tables scattered throughout the room, various robots were busily working. Each table seemed to contain and pertain to a certain thing. Before my mind could become too overloaded, Gero climbed the few steps to where I stood and broke into my mind.

"Follow me boy and I will show you around, then I will explain what it is I am doing here and just how you can help me." Gero's voice was quiet but firm.

I pushed the rising apprehension to one side and nodded my compliance, then followed Gero as he descended the stairs to the Lab floor.

"You have already passed through the storage and large assembly-come-preparation room. That is where all the larger, less complex work is done. Once the basic frame has been molded and shaped then the process is continued on in here." Gero indicated the lab with a sweep of his hand.

I must have looked a little shell shocked as Gero studied my face intently.

"You do know what I am doing in here, don't you Jay?"

"I have some idea," I replied. Oh yes I had a really good idea of what Gero was doing in here, but when forced to face it as I was now, my brain didn't want to comprehend the entire picture.

"Good, I shan't have to explain every minute detail then," said Gero and proceeded to walk to the first part of the lab.

"Here we take the rough, raw frame and fine it down into the smooth sleek skeleton that will form the basis of the android," continued Gero.

On the table lay a complete human skeleton fashioned out of metal. The detail was so precise that had it been bone colored then I'm sure you would not have been able to tell the difference between the real and the metal.

Gero moved on. "This is where the entire nervous system that is required to operate the skeleton is made," and he indicated to the mass of wires, chips and circuit boards that littered the table.

I gazed in awe. A small robot was busily at work soldering and arranging the wires into their network, so they would work exactly as the human system does. Hastily I moved on realising that Gero was forging ahead.

"And here is where the biological side of the work is done."

In this section were several large glass tubes all filled with some form of liquid. Most were covered so I was unable to see the contents but there were a couple of empty ones and one by itself that contained something within those liquid depths. I edged closer, intending to get a good look at what was inside. What I saw caused the contents of my stomach to try to return. Tasting the bile in my throat I forced my breakfast to stay where it was. Once the queasiness had passed, curiosity again got the better of me and I peered through the glass once more.

A shapeless mass greeted my eyes. It throbbed and pulsed with an unseen force and yet it resembled nothing discernible. It was obviously human tissue and was growing and multiplying in its 'womb', but still had some time to go before it would be 'complete'.

By the time we had come to the end of the tour my mind was bursting with questions. I could understand Gero's infatuation with the whole concept of creating artificial life and was eager to learn more, but a small nagging doubt continued to haunt the recess of my mind, but still I chose to ignore it.

"I'm sure you have many questions for me, boy and I will answer them in due course, but first I have some matters to attend to. I suggest you have a bit of a wander around and familiarise yourself with the programs that I am using on the computers as that is one of the main areas that I will be utilising your expertise in," Gero finished his speech and turning went off to the rear of the lab.

I gazed around once more then walked over to the computer consoles. I sat down in front of one and watched as the program ran through. Understanding began to dawn in my mind. Gero used the computers to format out and do the finer work for him. I followed the progress of the computer to the miniaturised robotics conveyor system that stood off to the side and watched, mesmerised as the tiny 'fingers' worked away creating the fine chips and tangelment of wires that would form the intricate circuitry of the brain. Minuscule components were deftly welded onto impossibly small circuit boards and the whole mass became, in effect, the very centre of the android's being.

Fascinated, I found it hard to draw myself away, but Gero had returned and I had hundreds of questions for him. I moved towards him and hesitated as another android appeared at his side.

"Boy, this is the latest in my design and the almost complete and perfect android. I would like you to meet Omega."

I stared at the figure. To all intents and purposes it appeared *human*... Dammit! if I had met Omega in the street I would have thought he _was _human. The only defect I could find was the slightly delayed reaction and not so fluid movement of the human. I reached forward and shook the other's proffered hand.

"Omega is the prototype for my ultimate android," said Gero.

"I take it then that you have managed to sort out the minor flaws with the reaction time and smoothness of movement?" I replied.

"Yes... yes I have. There was a small yet very vital piece missing in the program for the transfer of data. But that is all fixed now." Gero gave a rather evil smile as he shared this information with me.

Glancing at Omega and trying to shake off that feeling of unease that once more pushed forth, I continued to ask my questions. "I take it that most of the basic ground work is done by the robots?"

"Yes. They are all linked into the main frame where the entire program is housed. The main frame controls the entire system and in effect sends out the different programs to the different computers. The computers in turn operate the robots via their specfic programme so that each section produces the parts or items they are supposed to. Then the whole thing is linked up together to all fit in and slot into place like a perfect jigsaw. The end result being Omega here."

"Something akin to a conveyor belt system?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose you could say that, but unlike the conveyor belt system I do not mass produce and each section is an intricate and vital part of the finished product, so it is important that they be closely monitored for any deviation from plan, no matter how slight. With this being such an involved and complex project I cannot afford to have mistakes happen."

I stared as the enormity of just what was happening here sank in. Despite the coolness of the lab I began to sweat. "You said before that there was a minor hitch that prevented the android from being completely fluid and barely detectable from a human and that you have fixed the problem."

"That is correct."

"If I may be so bold just what was the problem?"

Gero studied the wall behind me intently for a few minutes before replying. "Ahh, it was but a minor thing involving the transfer of data from the one place to the other."

Riddles... more riddles... I sighed.

Gero, hearing my sigh, stared intently into my eyes and placed his hand upon my arm. "You will learn soon enough, boy."

I turned and began to walk away, back to where the computer screens hummed and flickered, so lost in my thoughts that I barely heard Gero whisper...

"I will give you front row seats to the final unveiling of my ultimate creation..."

For some reason that sentence sent chills of ice running the length of my spine.

#

For the next few days I spent most of my time in front of the computers, checking the data there and occassionally feeding in some new information that Gero had given me. Most was in code so it didn't make a lot of sense, but I could make out some figures in there which were obviously land mass coordinates. I didn't think too much on it though as I was still rather intrigued by the whole idea of actually getting the biological system and the non biological system to combine and work together. Each day I learnt more and more of the cloning technique and how Gero cultivated and grew the organic cells until finaly the metal and the flesh were ready to join so to speak. Once this level was achieved the two were merged and the system left alone to mature and grow into the final stage.

That was what I learnt in theory.

I had yet to see it in practice - and that was the part that I was both looking forward to and dreading.

Krystal had ceased in her attempts to get me to stay out of the lab. I think she finally realised that it was futile as I was becoming just as obsessed as Gero. But that didn't stop her from worrying over me. Sometimes late at night I could feel the sadness and concern coming from her, even though she tried to keep a close check on her emotions.

As bad as I felt about deserting her, I knew I couldn't stop now. I was so close...

And then it happened.

I stumbled upon the discovery that was to change our lives forever...

tbc...


	10. Chapter 10

"Genesis"

Chapter 10

I had been working with Gero for several days now and the project was moving ahead nicely. There were still a couple of areas that I wasn't too clear on, but Gero wouldn't go into detail at this stage, all he would say was that I would know soon enough.

On this particular day the weather wasn't very good and a storm was threatening on the horizon. I had promised Krystal that I would try to get through the day's work before the storm hit as I knew how much thunder and lightning seemed to terrify her. With that thought in mind I hurried through the day's tasks. I had managed to complete most of the tasks when one of the computers decided to go a bit haywire and refuse to co-operate with the program I was trying to run on it. After much beeping and flashing of the screen and hard drive and a few choice words from myself the program decided to delete itself.

"Damm you, you wretched machine!" I cursed the computer in front of me, curbing my instinct to thump the thing. I typed in several commands, but all to no avail. It wouldn't do a thing. The cursor continued to blink at the top as if in silent mockery of my futile attempts.

" You rotten heap of mismatched wiring and circuits..." I swore again, but of course the computer ignored me. It was no good, I would have to find Gero and get the program from him and then re load it all again.

Muttering to myself about useless pieces of machinery and how this sort of thing would have to happen to me, especially on a day like today, I made my way to Gero's office. As I neared so I could distinctly hear the sound of raised voices. I turned to walk away and return later when curiosity got the better of me. I knew I shouldn't be eavesdropping, but I couldn't help myself. One of those voices caused a little bell that was buried in the recesses of my mind to begin to ring. I knew that voice from somewhere. I began to dig methodically through the many closed doors of my mind in an attempt to locate the name or the face that belonged to _that _voice. The bell began to ring louder, but still I couldn't find what I wanted.

I began to get frustrated with my own inadequacy. That voice... I was connected to it in some way... It had a strong meaning to me; now if I could only figure out what.

I inched closer to Gero's office, the door was ajar and I managed to peer inside.

A strangled cry left my throat as I recognized the face of the man in Gero's office. It was the face of our parents' killer... The one I had seen in the car as it fled the bank all those years ago.

I felt faint as the recognition hit home. I raised a hand to my mouth to try to stifle the scream that was on its way from my vocal chords, but I only succeeded in mutating it. Then I watched in horror as Gero and the man turned and stared in my direction.

Gero opened his mouth. "Jay!" he called, his voice trembling with anger.

"Y...y...you killed my parents," I stammered - then I turned and fled.

I had no idea where I was running to, all I knew was I had to get away... away and try to sort out my thoughts. So many questions filled my mind and my fists clenched in rage as I ran that face through my memory once more. I had never forgotten that face and had vowed that some day I would find him and then he would pay. But what the hell was he doing here with Gero?

Blindly I stumbled back into the lab. I could hear Gero not far behind me. I continued to run.

"Jay!... Stop!" yelled Gero.

I continued to run, dodging around apparatus, between tables bypassing the miniature robots that continued to work on, oblivious to my headlong rush. I would stop, but only when I found somewhere to hide and sort out the tsunami of emotions that threatened to drown me.

Vaguely I registered the footsteps of a second person and realised that the other man had joined in the hunt. I slowed my running as rational thought entered my head once more. As long as I was running they could hear me and follow me, so If I slowed then I could use stealth to make my departure. I had to get out of the lab and get to Krystal. My inner self telling me that this was all could Gero possibly want with this killer? How did they know each other?

"Well, Jay, you wanted to find out what Gero was up to and it looks like you found out a bit more than you should have," I scolded myself. Why oh why hadn't I listened to Krystal and stayed out of the lab?

Quietly I slunk around the low tables in the lab, being careful not to interfere with the robots that were working away, but moving towards the lab doors. I had no worries about the coded lock... I had figured that out a while ago. I just needed a diversion of some kind to throw Gero off while I made my escape and got Krystal.

"Where are you, boy?"

Gero's voice rang out clear.

I continued to hide and work my way around the floor.

"Come out, Jay. We need to talk."

"No way!" I responded. "Just let me leave and I promise I won't say anything to anybody about what you are doing here."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Jay. You see, you already know far too much."

"No ... no I don't. I have only been working on basic things, I have no idea of the more advanced stuff," I lied. I could see the door across the expanse beckoning me.

"I can't let you leave here, Jay. You see, you are a vital part of my program, I need you to achieve the ultimate android." Gero's tone was quiet and cajoling.

I felt my blood run cold at those words. Seeing that the only thing that stood between me and the door were the large, covered, fluid filled cylinders, I crept along, keeping myself backed against them and in the shadows.

"I won't help you any more. I don't want to be a part of this," I stated.

"Ahhh, but you already are, Jay - and a large part of it at that," Gero laughed coldly.

Panic set in and I scrambled to make a run for the door. As I did so I knocked the switch that kept the covers in place on the cylinders. With a hum the covers began to lift, revealing the contents of the cylinders to curious eyes.

My sudden lunge for freedom halted in mid air. The *thing* that was contained within the cylinder driving all coherent thought from my brain and stealing the ability to move from my body. The scream stilled in my throat as blackness claimed me.

I was face to face with myself.

I have no idea of how long I remained in the darkness of unconsciousness. I was quite happy to float about there and then the visions started, drawing me back towards reality. A reality I didn't want to face.

"He's coming round..."

I groaned and blinked as the bright light pierced its way behind my eyelids and into my brain. Where was I? What happened? How long had I been out for? All these questions and more were running rampant through my head as I recalled the last events to happen to me before I slipped into oblivion.

Myself... I had seen myself. All the horror of the past suddenly caught up with me in one fell swoop. My breath caught in my throat as the realization set in and I struggled to raise my body, only to find that I couldn't. Cracking open an eyelid I scanned around the immediate vicinity. I was restrained in a prone position, '_probably a table', _I thought.

"I know you are awake, boy."

I shivered as Gero's voice found its way to my ears.

"Open your eyes."

Slowly I did as I was told. I turned my head to look around me, confirming that I was indeed restrained to a table. From the looks of things I was in the rear of the lab, somewhere by Gero's office I guessed, having never been allowed beyond the doors of Gero's room. I turned my head to scan the other way and my breath caught in my throat as I came face to face once more with *myself*.

"Marvellous likeness... don't you think?" said Gero.

A small cry escaped my mouth.

"He should be a mirror image of you seeing as how he is cloned from your DNA, Jay."

I stared in disbelief. Finally, I managed to whisper. "But why?"

Gero just chuckled. "My dear boy, you have been so interested in finding out about me and learning all my secrets that you didn't stop to think that I may have wanted you to learn all this on purpose. That I wanted you to find out." He quirked an eyebrow as he spoke.

I trembled as the thought that Gero had set me up penetrated my mind. Oh why hadn't I listened to my sister? She had known that something was wrong and had tried to warn me, but I had brushed her aside and ignored her warnings. Now I was forced to pay the price for my arrogance.

Another voice broke into the silence. "When are you going to do it?"

My head jerked around at the sound and fear balled in my stomach as I saw our parents' killer standing beside my double.

"Patience my friend, patience," soothed Gero. "These things cannot be rushed. The boy has to be prepared first." Gero moved out of my line of vision.

_Prepared? Just what the hell was going on here?_ I began to struggle at my bonds.

"Now, now, Jay. It won't get you anywhere. You cannot escape me this time." An evil smile appeared on Gero's face.

"What are you going to do?" I asked huskily.

"I intend to make you my ultimate being..."

My heart froze, my breath caught in my throat as the words sank in. Then the reality of the situation hit home.

"NO !" I screamed and began to fight in earnest.

Gero just laughed. "Before I complete the process, which by the way I am very grateful to you for helping me refine, I will fill in the gaps to what you have managed to find out. I'm sure you would like to know all that before I remove all trace of current memory from you and make you perfect."

Knowing that there was no escape from my current situation I gave up my struggle, opting instead to wait for an opportunity to present itself. I looked at Gero, part of me wanting to hear what he had to say and part of wishing I had never heard of the name Gero.

He began his tale...

"You already know that your father and I were very good friends at one stage... shame he had to be so stubborn about that loan. The company I worked for was making such progress in the field of bio genetics. All we needed was enough funding to finish the project. So close... so close... The cloning technique was just about perfected and I knew we were only a step or two away from cracking the problem we were having with the melding of the biological and non biological systems. Although your father wouldn't approve the loan we continued with the research anyway until forced to stop as the company folded. The directors weren't happy that they had to put the company in receivership. I must admit, I was furious when I learned that most of the equipment and all the research we had done would be sold off to the highest bidder to try to pay off the company's debts." Gero took on a far away look.

I watched, absorbing what he was telling me, most of it I knew so far.

"Have you any idea what it is like to watch your life's work broken up and sold off in chunks to various scavengers?" Gero's voice took on a threatening tone.

"No, I don't," I whispered.

"It's like having your heart ripped out. All those years.. all that time and effort... for what? Just so some smart assed wannabe can come along and take what I have slaved so hard to do, make a couple of adjustments, and then claim all the work as their own. No, I don't think so. I managed to save most of my data to files and destroy what that was left. No one was going to take the credit for my work!" Gero's eyes went glassy for a moment as he remembered that time. Then he shook himself from his memories and continued.

"Once the company had been sold off I found myself looking for work... anything so long as I could get money together to continue my research. I found employment with an underground company. I wont go into detail, but suffice to say that I made some genetic changes to their *army* and assisted them in a lot of other ways. Unfortunately the whole project was brought to an abrupt halt by some lone warrior who went by the name of Goku. I was the last survivor of the group and by now had enough money to get myself restarted on my ultimate project. I bought this place, equipped it and began to work." Gero paused to draw his breath.

My eyes were wide open as I tried to understand all that Gero had told me. There were, however, still a few pieces of the puzzle missing. "What is my parents' killer doing here? How does he know you? What does he want?" My questions sprang forth.

Gero chuckled evilly to himself. "Dear boy, haven't you managed to work out anything for yourself yet?"

I scowled at his reply.

"George Hunter, or your parents' killer was the owner of the Bio-genetics company that your father refused the loan to. Because of your father's refusal, George here lost everything, and that is a bitter pill to swallow," said Gero.

"It took a few years for me to get myself out of the debt hole that your father put me in, boy," snarled George Hunter.

I turned to look at him, I had forgotten that he was still in the room with us. My stomach tightened as I heard that voice and saw that face once more, that face that had haunted me for years.

"It took some time, lots of careful planning and a little help, but I managed to get my revenge," sneered George.

So my parents' death hadn't been a bungled robbery after all. It had been a calculated, planned, cold blooded murder. A sob escaped my throat as tears broke free from my eyes.

"In fact, it worked out well for all of us." added Gero. "George here got his revenge and by this time my research had reached the point of fruition. I created Omega, what was supposed to be the ultimate android. But alas, there still proved to be that one, minor, elusive piece missing. You saw for yourself with Omega how close to *human* he is. I then realized what the missing piece was."

My tears stopped as my mouth went dry. Now I knew. I had been given all the pieces and at last I had slotted them together to give me the answer. Waves of nausea washed over me as I contemplated the missing link...

"Ahhh.. I see you have figured it out, Jay," said Gero.

"Yes.. I think I have," I whispered.

"So what was the problem then?"

"To get the total and complete human form to bond, grow and meld with the non organic parts you needed much younger DNA. To be precise... adolescent DNA," I said.

"Bingo... Go to the top of the class, Jay," said Gero.

"So that is why you waited until we were 10 before coming forward to claim us," I stated.

"Yes. There was no point in having you around until then. Your DNA was of no use until you hit adolescence, so by taking you in at 10 I was able to monitor you and collect my samples as necessary; and as you can see, grow the perfect android." He gestured to my double that still lay on the table next to mine.

"But why us?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer I still had to hear it from his lips.

"Perfect revenge, don't you think?"

"Can we get on with this now," growled a low voice from behind my double.

Realising that an opportunity for my escape wasn't about to present itself I tried to change tack and talk my way out of this mess.

"Please don't do this to me, I can be of greater help to you as I am, I won't tell anyone about anything that is happening here. Just let me be." I was aware that my voice was taking on a begging, pleading tone, but I didn't care. Now I understood what a condemned man went through.

"I'm afraid that is just not possible, Jay. I have gone to a lot of trouble here, not to mention expense in having your mind trained as well and now it is time for you to repay all that."

I watched as Gero moved about collecting items from somewhere just out of my line of vision. Then my blood ran cold as another thought hit me.

Krystal...

As if sensing the thoughts in my head Gero turned and stared at me, an evil smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"No... Leave her alone..."

"My dear boy, did I say anything about your sister?"

"I know you... I know how you work. Please, leave Krystal out of this." Again I tried to struggle against my bonds, but to no avail.

Gero walked towards me and began to attach various wires and electrodes to my head and other parts of my upper body. He continued to talk as he checked the circuitry.

"There is no point in struggling, Jay; you cannot escape. Believe me, one way or another you will become the ultimate android. It will be much easier on you if you accept this and stop trying to fight it."

I knew then what I had to do. I swallowed hard trying to keep my voice level. "If I submit to this will you spare Krystal?"

He stopped for a moment and thought about my proposal, then he sighed. "Alright. You win. You give of yourself willingly and I will spare your sister."

A tear rolled down my cheek. "Thank you," I managed to force out.

"Humph," said Gero and he quickly set to work attaching wiring and electrodes to my double.

Resigned to my fate, I mentally sent a message to Krystal, one I didn't know but prayed she would get. I simply said "I'm sorry." And then letting my mind go blank and my body go limp, I succumbed to whatever it was that Gero wanted and needed of me to make his experiment complete.

Gero busied himself attaching the many wires to myself and my double, pausing to check every now and then that the computer that was also wired up to us confirmed that everything was still go ahead. Hunter assisted him from time to time passing over different pieces of equipment as required. After what seemed like an age he was finally done.

Thunder began to rumble overhead and I shivered involuntarily at the sound.

Gero's voice cut into my thoughts. "We are ready."

I stared at him, trying hard to swallow the lump in my throat. I had no idea what was to become of me... if this was going to hurt... if I would have any knowledge of who I was and what had happened. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to know.

Gero moved to the computer console and began to type.

I felt the wires begin to hum and a warmth spread through my body from the electrodes scattered all over my skin's surface. Then a dull ache began in my head. I turned to my double and noticed that he was beginning to glow as small tremors passed over his prone form.

Gero sat back and folded his arms, watching intently. "The process has begun," he stated.

The ache in my head began to increase and the tingling of my body also rose and I was aware of my other self without using my eyes. I began to sob... so this was how it would all end for me.

While I could still remember I pictured Krystal's sweet face and that of my parents, then I felt a cry of anguish rip from my very core and out of my throat, screaming my pain to the heavens before the ache in my head exploded into millions of shards of light and then the world went black.

The lab shook and the lights blinked... dimmed and then returned to normal. The buzz and hum of the equipment faltered for a second before resuming.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Hunter above the din of thunder.

"I think we took a lightning strike," replied Gero and he quickly moved across to the two figures on the tables. Hastily he checked them over for any untoward signs and finding none, he went back to the computer, checking once more that the program was still functioning. From what he could see all was still okay and the transfer continuing as planned.

#

Krystal sat in her bedroom watching through scared blue eyes as the storm closed in. "Where are you, Jay?" she asked out loud. He had promised to return early and be with her, he knew how much she hated storms. An uneasy feeling settled over her as she tried to read her book, then without warning, a thought flashed into her head.

"I'm sorry."

Krystal shook her head trying to clear her mind. Where the hell had that come from? The thunder rolled and Krystal shivered, hugging herself tight. Jay would be here soon.

There was a loud crack and all the lights dimmed. Krystal jumped, eyes wide with fear as a guttural scream came from nowhere.

She found her own scream joining in as a blinding flash passed before her eyes, pain ripped through her head and chest and then blackness...

tbc...


	11. Chapter 11

Many thanks to everyone for reading and warm hugs for the kind reviews.

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, seems FFnet doesn't like me. I've been trying for 9 days now to post this up.

"Genesis"

Chapter 11

A buzzing sound... All I could focus on was this buzzing sound. I felt warmth return to my limbs and a tingly feeling as I became aware of my body's extremities. Keeping my eyes closed I flexed my fingers. The buzzing noise faded and was replaced by voices. Still I kept my eyes closed as my mind went back over itself trying to determine where I was, what had happened and most importantly, _who _I was.

"How long before he is functional?"

"He should be fully operational in a few minutes."

"Hmmm."

"Patience my friend... patience... We will be able to test him out shortly. I just need to finish running this systems check to confirm the transfer is complete and then we can fully awaken him and test him."

My mind absorbed the conversation, the voices sounding familiar then with a jolt I remembered.

A loud beeping split the air.

"What the hell is that?"

"I think the android is awake..." Gero hastily checked systems, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed in his commands to the computer. "Strange," he muttered.

George cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Gero rubbed his chin. "Well something has tripped the overload switch, hence the beeping, its a warning that the nervous system has just had a surge of power."

'How could that happen?"

"Could be any one of a number of things... the storm... my activating the circuits... one of the fuses may have blown, " said Gero as he continued to try to find the cause.

"Or maybe he remembers," mumbled George.

Gero turned slowly and faced his former boss. Anger was evident in those cold blue eyes. " I have told you before, during the transfer of data only the important and necessary items are retained into the new 'brain'. Everything else, including memories, personality traits, emotions and the like are filtered out and discarded. For the android to be ultimate it doesn't need such menial things."

Gero was saved from further explanations as the computer screen beeped to alert him as to a possible cause for the reaction in the android. Gero bent over the console and continued to work.

George watched with mild interest. He really didn't understand all this stuff but he knew that the research and results were worth money... a lot of money... and he needed money, especially after all that these kids parents' had done to him in the past. He sure was going to make a fortune with the results of Gero's work. Why the possibilities were endless. His musings were brought to a halt with one word.

"Hello."

George's eyes opened wide at that simple, yet haunting word and he felt a sudden rush of apprehension run down his spine. He turned and stared.

Lying in my current state and realizing all that had happened to me I took a few moments to try to sort through the turmoil in my head. I was an android. Hearing Gero's words of explanation for the sudden beeping noise and George's comments on memory I vainly searched through my new brain.

"It appears we have a short in one of the circuits." said Gero and turned to face the android. His eyes opened wide and his jaw went slack.

"Hello."

My memories were still there. A girl... a blonde headed girl. My sister. My parents, the funeral, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard, all these memories came flooding back, playing through my mind like a movie. Emotion. Now that was a new one. I could feel something, but I wasn't sure what. Each time I heard the voice of that man my circuits ran hot, but what Gero had said about memory transfer, emotion and the like didn't add up in my case. Something had gone wrong during the process. I had no idea what, but instinct told me to play along with the game and not to reveal anything. So I did the only other thing I could do...

"Hello."

I spoke softly and calmly, noting that I had taken both men by suprise.

Gero stared open mouthed at me.

My eyes focused and I scanned around the room. I was still on the table, my wrists and ankles restrained with thick leather straps. I mused the thought of these pitiful restraints and then my gaze fell on the table next to me. I felt a lump rise to my throat. Had I been able to shed tears then I probably would have. My former body still lay there.. eyes glazed and unseeing, chest still, limbs unmoving... the entire form a lifeless shell.

Gero moved towards me. "I see you are fully awake now."

"Yes."

"Do you remember anything?"

"No," I lied.

"Good. Welcome to life, Seventeen."

"Seventeen?" I echoed his words.

"Yes. Seventeen. That is your name."

"Thankyou."

"I am Dr Gero. I am your creator. "

"You gave me life?" I asked the question knowing I had to bide my time.

"Yes. I have given you eternal life."

"Then I should be grateful."

Gero moved to the table and removed the restraints. "Come, it's time to test your new body."

I sat up and swung my legs to the side before pushing off the table and landing lightly on my feet. I felt different and yet the same.

"Now, Seventeen there are several features that this 'body' has that will enable you to do more than you ever dreamed possible. I have programed into you the way to harness the natural energy and use it to your advantage. With the nuclear energy core inside you there will be an unlimited supply of energy to you. Also your frame work is made from an alloy of metals to give you unbreakable bones and combined with the powers of your energy, a strength that has never before been seen," Gero explained briefly as he led me to another section of the lab.

We entered the room.

"I want you to run through the program I have installed into you and try out the various moves and energy blasts so I can make sure you are fully functional. Just be careful with the blasts and keep them low as I do not want to find this room reduced to rubble." Gero finished his run down on my new systems and turned to move away to watch from the safety of the doorway.

George was also there and I overheard Gero speak quietly to him.

"You know what to do with the body in the lab."

George nodded and slipped silently away.

Again I felt the heat as a surge of energy coursed through me triggered by those words. It suddenly all became so final. With my body being disposed of there was no going back. This was for real, I was now an android and would remain so for eternity. I focused my thoughts on to the program that had been installed into my brain and began to try out the new body. Finding out all its capabilities. The time for revenge would come soon enough.

Gero watched as I tested and honed my new found skills. He seemed pleased.

"Well done, my boy, well done. I think you are ready for the next step."

"The next step?" I queried.

"Come." Gero indicated to the lab.

I followed him back into the lab and into another room which housed more computer terminals. The computers were humming idly and a large screen glowed faintly, indicating it was on but not projecting anything. I looked around, scanning and noting everything. I was amazed at my new powers, being able to take things in and retain them immediately. I had always been a bright student, but now I understood the term photographic memory.

Gero pulled up a chair and motioned for me to do the same, then he typed rapidly and the screen flickered before coming to life with a picture of a black haired man on it.

"The name of this man is Goku," said Gero

After a few minutes of explanation it was clear to me what it was that Gero desired of me. Would this circle of hatred and revenge ever reach a conclusion?

"All the information you need on this warrior is in this computer's memory banks. I will connect you to it so as the information can be downloaded to your own data banks," said Gero.

I stared at him, then jumped as a scream rang out through the building.

#

George left Gero and Seventeen in the lab together. He shivered as he walked back to the room where the boy's former body awaited him. He felt uncomfortable with the way things had turned out. he wasn't a violent or evil man by nature, he just happened to get involved in the wrong thing at the wrong time. Then he found himself manipulated and used to the point where he had no way out. Gero's conditioning of his mind had left him with very little will of his own and that scared him. Scared men are also desperate men. The horror of the situation all those years ago, first with the refusal of the loan then the murders and now finally the boy's own end struck a spot deep within and served to sadden him more. He shook his head as reality hit home. None of this should ever have happened.

He paused as he lifted the lifeless form from the table. The boy was light weight. He had grown into quite a strong, good looking young man. It was such a pity he had to be sacrificed in such a way. With a sigh he turned and carrying the form made his way back through the lab to the doors that would take him into the garage area.

#

Krystal found the room swimming as she returned to consciousness. Grasping out for something to steady herself with, she willed her body to stop the swaying and heaving in sympathy with her head. Gradually the fog cleared and she could focus once more.

"What happened?" she asked out loud and not suprised when no answer was forthcoming. Thunder continued to roll overhead, gradually disappearing into the distance as the storm blew itself out. Krystal wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. She remembered a voice popping into her head saying... what did it say?

"I'm sorry."

That's right, that was it. Then the loud crack, a scream and a searing pain had passed through her chest and head causing her to pass out.

Jay...

Krystal raised her hand to her mouth covering and muffling the small cry as it burst forth. Jay was in trouble and needed her help. That's why he hadn't come to her like he promised to during the storm.

He never broke a promise.

With that special connection that twins seem to share, Krystal tried to focus on Jay. All she could feel was a void, as if Jay's very soul had been ripped from this dimension. Try as she might there was no *feeling* of him.

If she couldn't sense Jay then something must be terribly wrong. Krystal's blood ran cold as her mind grasped this possibility. Gero... this was all tied in to him. She had to get into the lab and find her brother. Krystal rose from the bed and made her way out of the room.

She headed down the hallway and towards the doors to the garage. She had no idea of what she would do when she got to the lab; all she knew was that she had to find Jay. She opened the doors to the garage and was making her way across the room towards the lab doors when she became aware that the doors were opening. She paused in her stride, the shadows effectively hiding her for the moment.

She watched as a figure came through the doors. He was a large, burly man and he carried something in his arms. She squinted trying to make out just what the man was carrying.

She gasped as an arm suddenly broke free and swung down lazily. Light reflected off the ring on the finger hitting Krystal's eyes and temporarily blinding her. She raised her hand instinctively covering her eyes from further invasion and blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear her vision.

Dropping her hand as her sight came clear she moved forward... curiosity getting the better of her.

George hearing a noise ahead in the shadows called out. "Who's there? Come out where I can see you."

Krystal moved out of the safety of the darkness and towards the figure of the man.

"It's me, Krystal, " she started to say and then froze as the man turned to look at her.

George turned to look at the girl before him and then realised he still held a bundle in his arms.

Too late...

Krystal's eyes moved to the man's arms. She felt as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped on her. Her hands flew to her mouth as water began to pool in her eyes.

"Jay?" she whispered

The lifeless eyes stared into her own as the head lolled to the side.

Krystal screamed, a loud, heart wrenching sound that started deep within the gut and worked its way out, taking with it her very soul. Then, she fainted.

###

to be concluded...


	12. Chapter 12

At last here is the conclusion to this monster. Thanks for all the support and encouragement I have received from the various readers out there. And a big thanks to Matt for being my beta reader and letting me bounce ideas off him. ^_^

Enjoy...

"Genesis"

Chapter 12

As the scream tore through the airwaves so Jay and Gero both jumped to their feet and were running in the direction from whence it came.

George stood rooted to the spot, the girl's scream ripping through his body and out the other side. He watched as she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint. He hesitated for a moment and then putting his cargo down, he moved across to the slumped figure. He tried to get the girl to come around. He lifted her up and carried her across to the car, he put her on the floor leaning her up against the wheel hub and gently shook her.

Krystal felt herself swimming in fog. All around it was just the same endless fog... Try as she might, her leaden limbs fought to pull her through the swirling mists and yet she made no head way.

Then she could feel Jay... Or was it Jay? Confused... so confused. She could hear his voice calling to her, and yet there was something wrong... something was missing. She couldn't put her finger on it, but all was not well with her sibling. If only she could get free of this fog then she could get the answers.

George continued to shake the girl, gently at first and then harder. He thought about giving her a slap or two to the cheek but decided against it - for the moment at least.

#

Gero and I ran through the lab and towards the open doors to the garage. I was ahead and as I barrelled through the doors into the garage I suddenly stopped and whirled around using my new found technology to scan the area. I quickly found what I sought.

Gero was hot on Jay's heels and nearly cannoned into the android as he stopped and surveyed the area around him.

Then with a flash of movement, Jay was off again, striding across the room towards the car, ignoring the inert form that still lay in a heap where it had been deposited on the floor.

Gero, sucking in vast quantities of oxygen, struggled to keep up with him. Wondering why the body of the boy was yet to be disposed of, he walked past the crumpled, lifeless form on the ground to where the shadows of figures were congregating.

Pulling absently at his moustache he contemplated the scene unfolding in front of him.

George squatted on his haunches next to Krystal and taking her shoulders again, proceeded to give her yet another shake... this one firmer that the last. Still getting no response he raised his hand and brought it down with an open palmed smack to her cheek.

Krystal's head jerked swiftly to the right as the hand connected with her cheekbone. The red print making itself known almost immediately on the pale, porcelain skin.

A sharp stinging pain passed through Krystal's subconscious, making the fog clear for just a second. She clawed desperately, trying to force the mists to part. They began to thin a little and then clear as another stinging pain sent jolts through her body. She felt herself being pulled rapidly through a spiralling tunnel toward the light that waited at the end and then...

A huge flash... and darkness.

I raced across the floor towards the car where I could see the figure crouched low over the prone form of my sister. For a being that was not supposed to be able to feel emotion I was doing a pretty good job of experiencing rage.

George raised his hand and slapped the girl's face. The body jerked a little but the eyes still didn't open. He raised his hand again and rendered another stinging slap to the already reddened cheek

Krystal's head jerked again as her mind struggled to regain the conscious plane.

I saw George raise his hand and slap my sister's face. Sparks began to fly before my eyes, my circuits and wires began to run hot. I watched as I neared the two figures. My eyes fixed determinedly on George as he raised his hand once more and then brought it down upon my sister's cheek yet again.

Before I was even aware of it I felt the heat build in my palm.

George stared unblinking at the boy before him, then his last thought was _'Oh shit!'_ as a wave of golden light hit him, instantly destroying bone, muscle and flesh as his soul was sent to the next dimension.

I raised my hand and an energy ball left my palm to remove all trace of George from this world. Without realizing it, I had kept my promise to myself and removed my parents' killer.

Hastily I rushed to Krystal's side and pulled her into my arms. Stroking her hair I willed her to come back to me. "Krystal... please wake up. Krystal... It's me, Jay," I whispered.

Gero began to move towards us, the shock of George's demise evident on his face, then the shock turned to anger as he realized that something had gone wrong in the transfer process.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Seventeen?" he growled.

I turned and looked at the old man before me. "He was hurting my sister," I replied simply and turned my attentions back to Krystal who had now started to come out from her faint.

Krystal looked up into soft blue eyes that were familiar and yet different. "Jay?" she questioned.

"Yes Krystal, It's me. Well, sort of me," I replied.

"Don't you dare say anything, Seventeen." Gero's voice was like steel as he tried to control his anger.

I turned my head slowly in Gero's direction. I looked his pitiful form up and down, then I opened my mouth and spoke with clear, calm words. "Don't you ever try to tell me what I can and can't do, old man. Thanks to you I am now part machine, part human. I didn't ask for this." I ran my hand up and down indicating my new *body* "You were the one that forced it upon me, just as you forced the rest of the changes in our lives." I paused for breath.

Krystal broke into the conversation.

"What... what do you mean, Jay? What did he do to you? What happened? What is going on here? Dammit ! I have a right to know!" she screamed.

I looked at my sister's stricken face. "Ask him." I indicated Gero with a jerk of my head. "He is the one that masterminded this whole thing. He arranged to have our parents killed. He falsified papers to have us in his custody. And all because of his obsession with creating the perfect android."

Krystal looked with bewilderment at me and then to Gero.

"Why?"

"Revenge."

That one simple word that was responsible for so much agony and heartbreak.

"But this is where it is going to stop," I said and raised my palm yet again, this time in Gero's direction.

"Don't be foolish, Seventeen. I have given you eternal life," said Gero as he began to back away.

"Eternal damnation would be more precise, I think," I laughed and prepared to fire, but before I could send the blast on its way, Gero removed a small, black controller from his pocket.

"I don't think so, Seventeen," he said and then pushed the red button.

I felt the fire go from my body as all thought left me and I slid into the black void of sleep.

Krystal couldn't hold onto the weight of Jay as he slumped forward into her arms and she reluctantly let him slide to the floor. Blue eyes opened wide once more and tears began to form.

"What have you done to him?"

Gero walked forward to where the twins now sat slumped against one another on the floor. He put his hand on Krystal's shoulder and began to squeeze gently.

"He will be fine, he is only sleeping. I had to deactivate him before he could hurt himself or me."

Krystal opened her mouth to protest but felt the hand begin to squeeze tighter, then pressure to the back of her neck before she too succumbed to the dark of unconsciousness.

#

Unaware of how much time had passed, Krystal slowly regained consciousness to find history repeating itself. She found herself in the lab and strapped to a table just as Jay had, only this time Gero had made sure to secure the head from moving as well as the rest of the body.

Krystal's eyes darted around, trying to locate anything familiar to anchor to and finding nothing. Fear pulsed through her veins, feeding her body with pure adrenaline as she made out the sounds of instruments humming and what sounded like Gero moving around.

"I see you are awake, my dear," said Gero as his face appeared above Krystal's. "Now then, no need to struggle, you cannot get free."

Krystal tried to work her way free of the restraints, but found the attempts futile. Gero had made sure she could not escape. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Why, I thought that was obvious, my dear," replied Gero as he reached forward and secured several circular discs to her forehead.

A sob escaped her throat. "Why?"

The plea was soft but full of emotion. For a moment Gero hesitated as he fought with his inner demons, but then the hard shell formed again and he looked at the girl through eyes of ice.

"You know too much and therefore are a threat to me."

"But I promise I won't tell a soul."

"I'm afraid I cannot take that risk. Besides I have been waiting a long time to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I have come so close to perfection on so many occasions only to have a minor flaw raise its head, but this time I will succeed. This time I will not fail..."

Gero moved away to the side and fixed an identical set of wires and discs to something that Krystal could not make out lying in her current position. She strained her head in an attempt to see more of her surroundings, but only ended up gaining minimal movement, still not enough for her to make out what was in the room with her.

"What have you done with Jay?" she asked.

Gero paused in his typing and addressed the girl. "Jay wanted to help me with my experiments and when I found what I needed to make the androids perfect he offered himself as my test subject."

"And what was it you needed?"

"Why, DNA my child... specifically adolescent DNA as it has the ability to adapt to new situations and is much easier to clone, splice and alter the genetic code. " He paused for breath. "You see, with more *adult* DNA, after a while the Gene splicing and alterations tend to try to revert back to their former state and this causes minor problems with the android's overall performance, however with adolescent DNA the genes aren't yet fully matured. They are still developing to a point and accept change and alteration much easier and tend not to try to revert to their original status."

"I think I understand," said Krystal. "But it doesn't make it any easier to bear," she added under her breath.

Gero reached out and patted her hand. "That's good, my dear, now just relax and let the computers finish their work."

"Their work?"

"Why of course," chuckled Gero, "You want to join your brother in eternal life, don't you?"

The words traveled the pathway of neurones to Krystal's brain and registered just as the computer took over and the wires began to run warm and then hot, causing tingling sensations throughout Krystal's body.

"NO!" Krystal managed to sob out before the the humming got louder and the pain began to take over in her head, then mercifully blackness claimed her.

Gero watched as the girl gave in to the machines' work and slumped unconscious on the table. The android lay unmoving on the table next to her as the wires began to glow and the humming increased in its volume. This time there would be no mistakes, he had made sure that no external forces were present to interrupt the transfer of data. However, in his haste to complete the final stage he had overlooked one minor thing...

When the lightning strike occurred, one very small, yet vital chip had been damaged in the computer. Gero had failed to pick it up in his pre checks as his mind was not fully on the job and so the transfer went ahead... damaged chip and all.

Leaving the computer to continue its task alone, Gero moved to where he had secured Seventeen and proceeded to plug him into another computer terminal. Once the computer was logged into Seventeen's main data banks he began to work in earnest to sort out the rebellious nature of his perfect creation.

#

Gero stood and leaving the dining room made his way along the hall to the sitting room where he poured himself a shot of whiskey from the bar and then sat in the large, overstuffed leather chair. As he sipped his drink he thought about the past few days. So much had happened in such a short time, but he had once again made it through. He swirled the amber liquid around the crystal glass, noting the flames from the fire tinting different shades in the fluid. He sighed and tugged at his moustache. Tomorrow... Tomorrow he would re awaken the boy and test him out , then he would know if the modifications had worked. As for the girl... Well he would activate her and see if the data transfer was successful. According to his computers both androids should be fully functional and ready to do his bidding.

"I'm coming for you, Goku," he whispered and then raised his glass in mock salute. "Here's to my revenge," then he downed the drink in one gulp, feeling it blaze a trail of molten fire to his belly. He set the glass down on the table and headed back to his rooms.

The sun set over the mountains, casting long shadows over three solitary mounds of dirt as an old man, eaten away by hatred, closed his eyes to the evenings rays and fell into a deep slumber.

# # #

A whooshing noise signalled the opening of the capsule. The lid sliding up and sideways to reveal the dark haired boy within. A second whoosh indicated the release of the girl's capsule door. Gero moved to stare inside. Both creatures had their eyes closed and a very faint humming sound was the only indication that they were in anyway *alive*.

Gero moved to a small side panel on the capsule and proceeded to type in several commands to the keyboard. The capsule began to glow and the keyboard beeped. Gero moved to the second capsule and repeated the procedure.

The eyes on both androids slid open.

I felt my circuits come back online and the power surged through my systems. I automatically ran a check on all functions and found I was running on maximum power. I opened my eyes and then reaching for the sides of the capsule, I pulled myself up and out to stand once more in Gero's lab, facing my *creator*. A movement from another capsule caught my eye and I stared in disbelief as Krystal emerged from that green cocoon. Then I felt the anger rise within, but quickly pushed it aside.

Now I knew what Gero had done. He had lied to me. He promised to spare Krystal and yet he still went ahead and did his worst. He would pay. Oh he had figured he had sorted out the problem with me, but in the little time I had been activated I had realized enough to build a pretty good firewall into my system which he had been unable to detect and to all intents and purposes had done its job well. I was still the same.

"Hello, Seventeen," said Gero.

"Hello, Doctor," I replied in my monotone voice.

"Hello, Eighteen," he said, turning to the female android.

"Hello, Dr Gero," she said.

I glanced at my sister and then at Gero, noting he still held a small black controller in his hand. Krystal returned my stare and our twin sense took over. She knew exactly what I was saying without a word being spoken.

"I'm glad to see you are functioning normally, Seventeen. No more of this insubordination," said Gero as he walked away from us. "The modifications have worked well."

"Yes, Doctor," I replied with a smirk on my face.

"Good. Now I have a little job for you both to complete for me," he said as he typed rapidly on a keyboard.

I glanced quickly across at Krystal and she nodded in affirmation. Then we moved quietly towards the console and stood behind Gero as he finished his typing. He turned to face us and was about to explain the little job when I swiftly darted forward and within the blink of an eye, grabbed the black remote from his hand. Gero stared open mouthed at me, not believing what had just taken place.

I held the little black box in my hand, running my thumb over the red button. "This is the device you used to deactivate me, isn't it Doctor." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Give that back to me, Seventeen!" demanded Gero.

"I don't think so," I replied.

Gero lunged forward in an attempt to grab the controller from my grasp, but I managed to dodge the attack easily and sent a well aimed blow to Gero's shoulder blades that served to continue his lunge to the wall behind me where he came to a sudden halt.

He picked himself up and swung around, his face turning red with rage. "I demand that you give me back that controller."

"Why, old man? So that you can shut me down again? I don't think so." I crushed the little box in my hand then opening the palm I let the bits fall to the ground.

"W... w... What have you done?" Gero stared open mouthed, his eyes threatening to burst forth from his head. "After all I have done for you, this is the way you repay me."

I whirled around at these words ready to let fly, but Krystal beat me to it.

"What have you done for us Gero?" her eyes glinted dangerously.

"Not you too," said Gero.

"Oh yes. You forgot to re check your data chip in the program, Gero... very sloppy work," said Krystal, toying with the man.

Gero paled as he realized the situation he was in.

"Tell me, doctor, just what is it you have done for us?" she said sliding closer to him.

Gero cleared his throat. " I have given you perfection... eternal life..."

"Damnation is more like it and as far as perfection goes, I would trade it all in a second if I could have my whole life back the way it was." I growled dangerously.

"All you have done is ruin our lives doctor, first by taking our parents, then by taking us and destroying anything and everything we ever loved or cared about. And for what? So called advancement of science. Well I'm sorry, doctor. Sorry for being forced into doing what I would rather avoid, but I'm not sorry for the result of that action." Krystal's voice was tinged with a little sadness.

Gero stared, unable to comprehend what had just passed between us. "As your creator I demand that you obey me!" he yelled.

"Too late for that, old man..." I shot forward and with a quick blow to the back of the neck I severed the man's head from his body. I came back to earth as the body twitched and convulsed on the floor in front of me. The head made a dull thump as it found its own resting place by the door. Quickly I made my way to where the head now lay. Looking down I saw the lips move, I bent to hear the words.

"Why?" the breath rasped past the dry lips and the eyes looked into mine one last time.

"Revenge," I breathed back, then I stood and raising my foot, I brought it down hard.

Krystal stared at the body on the ground and shuddered. "Is he..."

"Yes," I said.

She sighed. "Now what?"

_'Good question,'_ I thought. Finally we were free. Free to be ourselves and yet we weren't. Once more life had dealt us a cruel blow. Something began to stir in the rear of my memory banks.

"Krystal I think you should go back to our quarters and collect anything you want to keep and take with you. We are leaving here forever."

She stared at me. "Where are we going?"

"Let's just say there are a few matters that need taking care of. I need to access Gero's main frame to gather the rest of the information then I will tell you all of it. Trust me, okay?" I said.

"Okay Jay. I will be right back." She turned and left the lab.

I walked over to the computer and typed in a few commands. The screen cleared and the information I requested is displayed for me. I study it and commit it all to memory.

Once again I type in a request, the screen changes as it displays the result. I read it and then get up to leave. I walk towards the doors of the lab, my mind full of what I have to do, what I have become. I ponder the screen one last time then retrace my steps to switch it off...

**Revenge**:- inflict injury, etc. for wrong done; avenge (_oneself_ or another) n. desire for  
vengeance; act that satisfies this.  
(Oxford Dictionary)

#

Floating above the mountain that had been our home for some time now I looked at my sister. Although we were both now part machine, part human, she would always be my sweet, caring twin. She caught my stare and smiled.

"Let's do it."

We raised our palms and began to send volley after volley of energy blasts into the mountain, destroying the lab and burying all its secrets along with Gero. Once the dust cleared there was nothing but a pile of rubble.

Laughing into the wind we flew off together southwards, to complete our programing and fulfil the deed.

Onward to our date with destiny... our date with the Z fighters...

~ FIN ~

AN: There are another couple of fics yet in the Android Arc and I will be posting them up soon. Thank you for reading!


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